Building a Relationship
by Failte
Summary: When Hunk joined his friends for an evening out, he never expected to have his life changed completely. Part of my Voltron universe. Tells Hunk and Paton's love story, starting with their meeting in the chapter "A Night Out" in the story New Arrivals.
1. Putting Down A Strong Foundation

A long time ago, someone asked me if I would ever write about Hunk and Paton's love story. I had always planned on it, but the muse didn't strike until recently. It seems like the stories come to me when I have a lot going on and I'm stressed, they act as a type of therapy for me, giving me an escape. From all the current craziness in my life, this story came to be. It won't be a long story, but I love it and I love the characters.

This is a romance, don't come here looking for an action story...sorry (not really). It takes place in my Voltron universe, picking up where Hunk and Paton first meet, in the chapter "A Night Out" in the story _New Arrivals_. We know how their story ends (married, with three kids), but how did they get there?

I hope you enjoy the fluff and fun as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thanks!  
Failte

* * *

The whole dynamic of the team was changing. Keith and Allura were happily married, as were Sven and Romelle on Pollux. It was obvious to everyone with two eyes and a brain that Lance was crazy about Darcy and, although she hasn't given in to his advances yet, Darcy seemed to feel the same for him. A couple weeks ago, Dante had put together a betting pool as to when Lance and Darcy would finally admit they had feelings for each other and make it official. Hunk was hoping they'd hold out for 6 more days, he had fifty dollars riding on it.

And of course there were the new members, Dante, Caleb, and Darcy. They seemed to be settling in well with the rest of the Force, but there was still a bit of a 'new kid' feel. When you had been together as long as the Voltron Force had been and gone through all they had gone through, you developed a deep bond that was often difficult to penetrate. But they were a good group of people and were as welcoming as they could be.

The changes didn't bother Hunk like he knew they bothered Pidge. Change was inevitable, so why worry about it? If things didn't change, life would be dull. He wouldn't be living on Arus, working with his best friends, flying one of the most powerful machines in history, and spending free time tinkering around with the Lions. Life was good, changes and all.

Hunk sat back against the red vinyl booth and took in the group around him. They had all decided it was a good time for a night off and they had just settled in a large round booth at Salina's, a popular dance club and bar in Alforia.

Keith, Allura, Darcy, Lance, Caleb, Dante, Hunk, and Pidge sat around the table, drinks in hand, and goofed on each other. Lance didn't even try to hide the way he watched Darcy, he slid his arm along the back of the booth. Hunk didn't think Darcy even realized it when she leaned a little closer to Red's pilot.

Keith whispered something to Allura and slid out of the booth. Hunk followed his Captain with his eyes, it was an old habit. Any member of the team was fully capable of taking care of themselves, but it didn't stop Hunk from feeling protective and keeping an eye on his teammates. As the largest member, at 6 feet and 7 inches tall and weighing just over 300 pounds of solid muscle, Hunk cut a very intimidating figure. But he was, without a doubt, the most laid back of them all. It was nearly impossible to make Hunk angry, he lived his life just going with the flow. Everything happened for a reason and everything seemed to work out in the end, just enjoy the ride.

Hunk's eyebrows rose when he took notice of the woman Keith was speaking to. She was tall. He skimmed his eyes down her body to see she was standing in flat boots but she stood at least six feet tall. Her figure was curvy in blue jeans and green striped sweater, her hair was thick and black, flowing just past her shoulders in loose waves. Her eyes were such a brilliant blue Hunk could see them from across the bar and when she smiled, deep dimples marked her cheeks.

"Who is that?" Hunk asked, not realizing at first that he had asked the question aloud.

Everyone turned to see who he was talking about.

"Oh, that's Paton Lacko," Allura said. "She's the chief of the new police department Keith started here in town."

Hunk's eyes widened. That was the chief of police? When he thought of police chiefs, he pictured grizzled old men who had spent decades on the force. But things were different on Arus, everyone was new and young as the planet started over.

"How come he never introduced us to her?" He asked.

Since he hadn't been able to tear his eyes from Paton, Hunk could hear the smile in Allura's voice as she teased him. "Why Hunk, I do believe you're smitten. Why don't you go over and have Keith introduce you?"

Never a shy person, Hunk nodded. "Maybe I will."

Given his size, people always gave him plenty of leeway when he crossed through a crowd. Salina's wasn't crowded, it was the middle of the week, but the patrons stepped aside as he crossed the room.

"Hey Keith, I was just about to get another round," Hunk said, clapping his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Keith glanced up at his friend and saw the way he was looking not at him, but at the woman in front of him, and he took the hint. "Its fine, Paton and I were just chatting. Paton, this is Hunk Landers. Hunk, I'd like you to meet Paton Lacko, chief of Alforia's police department."

Paton held out her had. "It's a pleasure Mr. Landers."

As was usual for him, Hunk acted on instinct. He took her hand in his and brushed his lips over the back of it. "It's a pleasure, Ms. Lacko, but please, call me Hunk."

"All right, Hunk, please, call me Paton." Her eyes sparkled and her smile grew.

"Well, I better get back to the table," Keith said, taking a step back.

Hunk nodded. "I'll catch you later, Cap."

"Paton, please let me know if you need anything."

She tore her gaze from Hunk and smiled at Keith. "Will do. Thanks for everything."

"Can I buy you a drink?" Hunk asked.

"Uh, sure. I'm just having soda tonight."

He pulled out a stool and waited until Paton sat down before taking the seat beside her and turning to the bartender. "Two sodas, please."

"So, Hunk Landers," Paton said, toying with the edge of a napkin. "That makes you Yellow Lion's pilot, right?"

"That's right, but it seems you already know more about me than I know about you. Are you from Alforia originally?"

She nodded. "Yes, my father was on the police force here when I was real young. When things got bad with Doom, we moved to my mother's home planet, Latrial."

"When did you come back?"

"I always wanted to come back to Arus. I went to the police academy on Latrial and when I heard about the Voltron Force and all you had done, I saw online how Arus was being rebuilt, I wanted to help. I applied for the new police force and, to my surprise, Keith hired me as the new chief."

"Why were you surprised?" Hunk asked.

Paton shrugged and took a sip of her soda. "I don't have a lot of experience in the field, I mean, I did well in school and all but, but I've only been in the field for five years. I thought I was years away from chief, if ever."

"Keith saw something in you. Trust me, his instincts are never wrong. If he didn't think you could do it, he wouldn't have hired you for the position. He was a very young team Captain, but look at all he has accomplished."

Paton slid her gaze over to the dance floor where Keith and Allura were now dancing closely together. "I hope you're right."

Hunk glanced over his shoulder and then back at her. "Would you like to dance?"

She hesitated a moment and then smiled. "Yes, I would."

It was a slow song as Hunk slid his arm around Paton's waist and took her other hand in his.

"You're very light on your feet," she commented.

"My football coach used to tell me the same thing."

"Football?"

Hunk chuckled. "I forget sometimes how different Arus can be from Terra. It's a sport, a very popular sport, back home. We all also had to take dancing lessons for Keith and Allura's wedding."

"I saw pictures, it was a beautiful wedding."

"After all she's been through, Allura deserved it."

"It meant a lot to the whole planet, a real reason to celebrate."

"I've never known two people more meant for each other, it was a long road for them to be together. I'm so happy they were able to make it work."

Paton's smiled shyly. "You're quite the romantic, aren't you, Hunk Landers?"

He shrugged. "I don't know if I've ever been called a romantic before. I just love my friends and I'm glad they were able to find their happiness."

The song ended and Paton stepped out of his embrace.

"Come on, let's go finish our drinks." Hunk laid his hand on the small of her back and steered her toward the bar. "And you can tell me more about the new chief of police."

* * *

"I have two older brothers," Paton said as she slowly stirred her soda with a straw. "What about you?"

"Older sister and a younger brother. Are your brothers still on Latrial?"

"Yeah, but I know my one brother, Cam, is thinking about coming back to Arus. My parents have been talking about it too. My other brother, Ifan, is married and settled. What about your sister and brother, what do they do?"

"Pam is a sculptor; she lives in California and just got her first show. Jeff is still in school, he's working on getting his masters in engineering."

"How did you end up here?"

"On Arus?" Hunk shrugged. "I always knew I wanted to be a pilot, I was good with my hands. I knew the other guys from the Academy and when the opportunity came up, I took it. I was ready for something new."

"And you like it here?"

"Yeah, I love it here. Allura is like a sister to me, I'm so glad we can help Arus and the people here. I feel like we're really making a difference."

Paton smiled up at him. "You are. I don't know if you guys know how much you've done for Arus."

"Hey, Hunk," Pidge appeared beside him, leaning against the bar.

"Oh, hey, buddy, uh, this is Paton Lacko, Paton, Pidge Audric."

Pidge nodded to her. "Nice to meet you, Paton, Keith was telling us what great work you're doing."

Paton couldn't help but blush a little at the compliment. "Thank you, it's a pleasure meeting you, too."

"We're going to head back to the castle," Pidge told his friend. "Keith said to just call up for a car when you're ready to come back."

"I will, thanks, man."

"Good night, Paton."

"Good night, Pidge." She glanced at her watch as Green's pilot joined the others at the front door. "Is it really that late already?"

"Do you need to go?"

Paton hesitated, disappointed at the thought that their evening would be ending. "Yeah, I'm on duty at eight."

Hunk looked as disappointed as she felt. "Can I walk you home?"

She shook her head. "I drove here, but I can give you a ride up to the castle if you'd like."

"I'd like that very much." Hunk took his wallet out and laid a few bills on the bar.

Paton felt his large hand on the small of her back again as he walked with her through the nearly empty bar, the warmth of his touch burned through her sweater and caused her skin to tingle. A few people noticed them, it was hard not to, the Voltron Force were as famous as the Arusian royal family.

"Where are you parked?"

Paton had to suppress a shiver as his breath brushed over her ear when he leaned close to whisper. "Just down the block here, the green truck."

Hunk's eyes lit up at the sight of her beat up old pick-up. "She's a beaut! What's her name?"

She laughed as she unlocked the door. "What makes you think I named her?"

"Because a truck like this always has a name."

Paton wrenched open the passenger side door for him. "Petunia."

His laughter followed her as she rounded the hood to the driver side door. "Great name."

"She came with it. Her previous owner let his daughter name her."

"How old is Petunia?"

"She's twelve. She's old, but she gets the job done."

Hunk tilted his head as she backed the truck out of the parking spot. "I hear a knocking sound."

"Yeah, I need to get her to the mechanic, but my work schedule and other things keep getting in the way."

"I can take a look at her."

"I'm sure you have other things you could be doing with your time."

He shook his head. "I work on the Lions, but it has been a long time since I could get my hands on a _real_ car, not one of the fancy castle cars. I'd love to get under Petunia's hood and see why she's making so much noise. You can drive straight up to the castle." Hunk rolled down his window and waved to the guys manning the small guardhouse.

"It's beautiful," Paton breathed as she drew closer to the huge, silver castle.

"You haven't been inside?"

"No, I met with Keith down at the police station." Paton pulled to a stop by the main entrance. "I had a good time tonight, Hunk."

"So did I." He turned in his seat to face her. "I'd like to see you again."

"I'd like that too."

"What's your schedule like?"

"Right now, things are pretty crazy. I'm free Saturday afternoon."

"All right then." Hunk popped open his door. "I'll swing by Saturday and take a look at Petunia. After that, we'll find something fun to do."

She grinned at him. "Sounds good."

"I have morning practice followed by our regular meeting, how about 2:00?"

"2:00 it is."

He stepped down and turned back to her. "I think I know what's wrong, but if the sound gets louder, just bring her right to the castle, tell the guards you're here to see me, I'll take care of it. Good night."

"Good night." Paton gripped the steering wheel and watched as he approached the door, punched in a code, and, after waving to her, disappeared into the Castle of Lions.


	2. Touch-Ups

The crime rate in Alforia was low, but that didn't mean Paton didn't have anything to do. She had fifteen patrol officers, four detectives, and a deputy chief under her, not to mention the media relations department, civilian liaisons, and the staff psychiatrist. As time went on and the city continued to grow, she knew they would need more people, but for now she was concentrating on building a solid foundation.

The police station was a two story building on Main Street, two blocks down from the large park Queen Allura was having built. The basement held four jail cells, the main floor was filled with offices, and the second floor was primarily storage. There was an out building behind the station that housed the shooting range.

Paton spent the next few days trying not to think about Hunk and their plans for Saturday. With the arrival of the freed Deikun slaves from Doom the following week, there was plenty of work to do. She had met with Keith and Allura about how to help the visitors acclimate to their freedom and their new lives on Arus. Allura had asked Paton to come to the welcoming picnic with a few of her officers, she wanted the Deikuns to know who they could trust and that if they needed help the Alforia police department would be there.

As she turned to her computer and studied the spreadsheet that broke down the department's monthly budget, Paton found herself thinking about Hunk again. She had seen the Lions take off that morning for early practice as she arrived to work and her eyes went automatically to Yellow.

She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him. He was a good looking guy, sure, but it was more than that. What really had won her over was his easy affection for his friends. When he openly and honestly shared his feelings about how happy he was for Keith and Allura and the happiness they deserved, her heart melted a little.

Paton had spent most of her life with men, her father and brothers, and then entering a very male dominated career, she considered herself familiar with the male mind. But she had never met someone like Hunk. He was this deliciously large man who looked like he could crush a melon with one hand, but he was so much more open with his affection and his kindness than she had ever seen before. Not only the way he spoke about his family and friends, but his offer to take a look at Petunia pierced her heart, as did the look of adoration on his face when he saw her truck.

Paton had purchased her home, a rather rundown cottage on the outskirts of town, when she was offered the chief position. She was so excited to fix up the little house and make it her home. What she needed was a truck to haul materials, nothing fancy. Petunia was a great deal, she ran like a tank and looked just dilapidated enough to be cute. The fact that Hunk saw in that truck what she had seen only endeared him to her even more.

She had no plans to start a relationship right now. Being chief of police and getting her crew in order came first, followed by getting her home in shape, and then everything else. Did she really have time to devote to a new relationship?

The best thing about working with Keith was that he never treated her differently than he treated the guys. Paton, the five female patrol officers, and the one female detective were all treated just the same as the men who outnumbered them. Taking their cue from the Prince Consort, the men on her team did the same. She was one of the guys; respected, teased, and admired, just like the others. Romance was the last thing on her mind.

But there was something about the way Hunk looked at her, the way he had kissed her hand. He had actually kissed her hand like a prince in some story. Men didn't kiss her hand.

For most of her teen years, Paton had stood taller than every guy in her school. When she stopped growing, she stood six feet tall in her bare feet. She was a lot of woman and she knew it. But Hunk made her feel pretty, feminine, and, to be honest, a little small. He was gentle with his touches and, as they had just met, he was hesitant as well.

Wondering what it would feel like to have those large, calloused hands on her, Paton gnawed on the end of her pen as she stared out the window.

"Chief?"

She jumped in her seat and whipped her head around to see her deputy chief, Raylen Dewalk, standing in her open doorway. "Yeah, what is it?"

"I have the information on the Deikun you wanted."

"Great, thanks. Once I have a better idea of who these people are, we'll have a meeting and talk. What these people have endured…we're going to have to tread carefully with how we handle things."

He nodded, setting the file on her desk. "Yes, Ma'am. If you're done with me for now, I'd like to get some target practice in before going over the schedules with Coorinth."

"That's fine. Maybe you should take Deltaf and Gratik with you, Deltaf really needs to work on his target practice, he's still rather wet behind the ears."

"Will do." Dewalk tapped the radio on his belt. "You know how to get a hold of me if you need anything."

"Thanks, Raylen," Paton said as she opened the file in front of her.

Her second had barely crossed through the doorway when another person appeared, she looked up and saw Trooper Lowden, their newest recruit, holding a large box.

"Excuse me, Ma'am."

"Come on in, Lowden, what is it?"

"This was just delivered for you."

"For me?" She stood up and took the box. "Uh, thank you. You can go back to the front desk."

When she was alone, Paton set the box down on her desk and studied it. She hadn't ordered anything and there was no return address on it. Taking out her pocket knife, she gently sliced through the tape and flipped up the top.

Her heart stopped for a second before starting again at a much faster rate. Nestled in a bed of tissue paper was a ceramic flower pot filled with purple-y pink petunias just starting to bloom. She gently pulled the pot out of the box and set it on her desk, placing the box on the floor. A white card was tucked in among the buds.

_Paton,_

_I can't stop thinking about Petunia, looking forward to seeing her on Saturday._

_Hunk_

_P.S. I'm glad you'll be there, too._

"Oh crap," she whispered. Even if she wasn't looking for romance, it appears to have sneaked up from behind and tackled her.

* * *

When Hunk pulled up to the address Paton had given him, he was utterly charmed by what he saw. The cottage, it really was a cottage, sat back from the road against the woods. It was two stories, but cozy in size. It was very rough around the edges, but he saw a lot of potential. The windows were all new, as were the steps leading up to the sagging porch, and the flagstone walkway. The white stucco walls had just been power washed and were gleaming in the early afternoon sun. But the driveway was in desperate need of a good sealing and the wood of the porch's roof was rotting.

He got out of the car and pulled his tool box and a bag out of the back before starting up the walkway. The landscaping needed work and the roof was going to need new shingles, but damn if it wasn't a great little house.

Music was playing inside and it grew louder as he climbed the porch. The wood creaked under his feet; it looked like the porch needed more work than he originally thought. Beside the front door was the large pot of petunias he had sent her.

Hunk rang the doorbell, but didn't hear anything, so he knocked. He raised his hand to knock again when the door flew open and he couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face.

Paton wore an old t-shirt under paint stained denim overalls. Her hair was pulled back into a messy, black bun and grey paint was all over her fingers.

"Is it 2:00 already?" She greeted him, a quick panicked look crossed her face.

He glanced at his watch. "2:04 to be exact."

"Oh, oh crap." Paton reached up to touch her hair, but seemed to remember the paint on her hand. "I wasn't watching the time, sorry. Sometimes, when I get in the zone, I forget."

"I totally understand."

"Come on in." She stepped aside, rubbing her hand absently over her cheek, leaving a streak of paint. "Sorry about the mess, I'm working on getting this place into shape."

"You're doing it all by yourself?" He asked, impressed.

"What I can. I'm bringing in pros for the electricity and plumbing, but little by little I'm getting it together. I'm doing touch-up on the paint in the living room now. But I'm going to start concentrating on the front and side porches while the weather is nice and the flooring for the living and dining rooms just arrived yesterday."

"This is incredible," Hunk said, setting his tool box on the kitchen island. "I'd love a tour."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"It's kind of a disaster right now."

"I don't think it's a disaster, more like a work in progress."

Paton seemed to relax at his assessment. "Okay, well, this is the kitchen. It's not too bad, so I'm planning on tackling it last. My brother, Cam, is an architect and he's been helping me through email and all, but he's going to come and help me with this room. I'm planning on new cupboards and countertops and I want to do a tile floor, a new back splash. Through here is the dining room, watch your step."

The smell of fresh paint was everywhere as Hunk followed her into the next room. The walls were painted a warm blue and there was a huge bay window overlooking the yard.

"I just set the flooring there," she pointed to a pile of long boxes under the window. "I'm putting wood floors throughout the rest of the first floor. You should've seen all the carpet I pulled up. It was nasty."

Hunk was impressed with all she had already done. "Really?"

"Yeah, I think the previous owners had cats and, well, I guess the litter box was optional. This is the living room."

The walls were a light gray and he saw the tray and paint where she had been working on touch-ups sitting on an overturned bucket in a far corner. There was a stone fireplace on the wall to the left, but straight ahead, the wall was almost entirely made up of windows looking out over the woods.

Wordlessly, Hunk crossed to look out the window. The backyard was wide and narrow and surrounded by the woods. A small creek crossed the back of the yard and, as he watched, a deer came out to drink from it. It was so peaceful, so beautiful.

"This is awesome," he whispered.

"This sold me on the place," she whispered back, coming to stand beside him.

"How long have you been here?"

"I bought the place about a month ago, when Keith offered me the chief position."

He turned to look at her. "All you're doing here, it's amazing. Really."

Paton's cheeks darkened, but her dimples appeared as she smiled shyly at him. "Thank you. I fell in love with this cottage, the bones of it really drew me to it. But I love how I am able to really make it my own."

"Did you know anything about construction before buying it?"

She nodded. "When we moved to Latrial, my father couldn't get work in their police, they weren't recruiting at the time, so he took up construction. My brother Cam and I really got into it, too. When I was ten, I helped my dad build our back deck. He bought me a pink tool belt."

The thought of a little Paton proudly wearing a pink tool belt and hammering nails beside her dad made Hunk smile. "I bet it was adorable."

"I loved that tool belt. I was so mad when I outgrew it, but he replaced it." She pointed to the beaten, well-loved professional tool belt thrown over the back of a chair.

"You kept the kid tool belt, didn't you?"

She shrugged. "I might have a daughter of my own some day."

Hunk suddenly wanted to kiss her. The sensation was so intense, he took a step back, afraid of coming on too strong. "Why don't I get to work on Petunia while you finish up your touch-ups in here?"

"Okay, yeah…sure."

Hunk followed her back through the kitchen to a small mud room that led to the garage.

"Can I get you anything?" Paton asked.

He held up the tool box he had grabbed off the kitchen island. "Nope, I got it. Shouldn't take long."

* * *

Paton felt like a complete fool. She had a much cuter outfit she had planned to change into before he arrived and her hair was a mess. The last time she had checked her watch, it had been quarter to one, the next thing she knew, there was a knock on the door.

Silently beating herself up, she left Hunk in the garage and returned to the living room. She put away the paint and tray, knowing the touch-ups were done, she was just being too fussy.

For a moment, in front of the window, Paton had thought he might have kissed her, but instead he had stepped away. She tried to squelch the feelings of embarrassment and disappointment. This was only the second time they had gotten together, maybe he didn't want to move too fast. Or maybe he was afraid of pushing her. Or maybe he had changed his mind and decided he didn't like her. Maybe he was like Keith, just a really nice guy and she had read too much into it.

Paton went up to her bedroom and cleaned up, horrified to find paint on her cheek and in her hair. She quickly changed into jeans and a snug t-shirt. In the kitchen, she poured two glasses of iced tea and took them out to the garage.

The large garage door was wide open, letting in the afternoon sun and a lovely breeze.

Petunia was up on jack stands and Hunk's feet were sticking out from underneath her.

"Uh, Hunk?"

"Just a second." His voice was a bit muffled.

Worry gnawed at Paton as she assumed this meant whatever was wrong with Petunia was much worse than she had originally thought. She loved that stupid truck and all of her money was tied up in her house, she couldn't afford a new one.

Hunk scooched out from under the car with the drain pan and stood up, grabbing a rag from his tool box and wiping off his hands. "I figured while I was under the hood I'd check your oil, it was time for a change."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that."

He shrugged. "I had everything you needed in the workshop. Just wanted to make sure Petunia was well taken care of."

Paton held out a glass to him. "I thought you could use a drink."

His eyes lingered on her a moment before taking the glass. "Thanks. You changed."

"What?"

"Your clothes, you changed."

"I had paint all over me. I was a mess."

He smiled. "I don't know about that, grey looks good on you."

Feeling a little flustered, Paton took a sip of tea before asking, "Did you find the knocking noise?"

Hunk drained his tea in one long drink. "Loose torque converter bolts."

"I have no idea what that means."

"Loose bolts, I tightened them up and you should be good. I looked around the engine and everything looked fine. Petunia may be old, but she has been well-loved."

"Oh good, I was worried."

"Really?"

"Well, I need my money to fix up the house, I can't afford a new truck."

"Don't worry about that, she's just fine. And if she needed anything, I would've taken care of it. Petunia will be just fine."

"I can build a deck, but I couldn't tell you the first thing about a car engine." Paton admitted.

"I can teach you if you'd like."

"Really?"

"Sure. Everyone should know a few basics."

Paton took her glass and his and set them on a shelf by the door. "I'd like that."

* * *

Hunk knew teaching Paton how to change the oil in her truck wasn't the most romantic way to spend an afternoon, but it was a perfect excuse to get close to her. And he would take anything he could get.

"I already drained the oil, I'll have to show you that later, but it's easy. You just remove the drain plug and let it drain into a pan. The next step is to remove the filter." He handed her a wrench and pointed out the filter.

It took just a moment for her to loosen the filter and pull it out.

"Drain the oil into the pan," he instructed. "Then wrap it in this newspaper."

"What do you do with it?" Paton asked as she wrapped the filter.

"Just leave it with the drain pan for now, I'll take it with me and recycle it with the other stuff in the workshop." Hunk unscrewed the new bottle of oil and handed it to her.

Paton's fingers brushed against his and she almost dropped the bottle.

"Careful," he said gently as she blushed. "Dip your finger in the bottle, you'll rub a bit of oil here over the gasket of the new filter."

As she stuck her finger in the oil, he opened the box and unwrapped the new filter. Hunk walked her through placing the new filter and then he asked her if she was ready to get under the truck.

"Seriously?" Paton asked.

"Well, we have to replace the drain plug or all the oil you pour in will just drain out the bottom."

"Okay." Paton followed him down to the floor and wiggled under the truck.

They were lying so close her head was against his shoulder as he showed her where to place the plug and then gave her the wrench to tighten it herself. He took a moment to watch her long, slender fingers work and enjoy the fresh, clean scent of whatever soap or perfume she was wearing.

"How's that?" She asked, quietly.

Hunk reached up and tested the cap. "Good and tight."

Neither of them moved for a moment, her head against his shoulder, he tilted his head so it rested against her hair.

Paton cleared her throat. "What, uh, what next?"

"Next, we crawl out from under here and pour the oil in."

Five minutes later, Paton got behind the wheel of the truck and started the engine. Hunk checked the filter and then crouched down to look under the truck, he saw no leaking.

"Good job!" He called out.

Paton cut the engine and came around the front of the truck as he lowered the jack and put Petunia back on solid ground.

"That was surprisingly easy," she said. "I feel like I've been wasting money having other people do that for me."

Hunk smiled. "You did great, you're a natural."

"I just had a great teacher. How did you learn so much about cars?"

"I always liked them and I wanted to know how they ran. I've been tinkering since I was thirteen."

"Well, thank you, so much, for taking the time to show me."

"It was my pleasure," he said quietly.

Paton stood in front of him, her eyes on his, she acted as though she wanted to say something but was hesitant to do so.

Hunk reached up and brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, sliding his hand down to rest on the back of her neck. She took a step closer. He leaned down and gently brushed his lips over hers. Paton took another step closer, pressing her body against his and wrapping her arms around his neck as he brought his other arm tightly around her waist.

She moaned in the back of her throat as he deepened the kiss.

Hunk tightened his grip on her, loving the way her body fit to his, the softness of her curves under his hands. He turned her so she was pressed against the grill of the truck when somewhere in the back of his mind he thought he heard the sound of tires on gravel.

A friendly horn honking had them jumping apart.

Paton looked up at him through heavy lidded eyes, her swollen lips parted as she tried to catch her breath.

Hunk had the sudden urge to find whoever had honked their horn and shove it down their throat.

Paton's eyes shifted over his shoulder and the look of disappointment that had crossed her face when they were interrupted quickly changed to excitement.

"It's my deck!"

"Your deck?"

"I wasn't expecting them for a couple of more days!" Paton slipped out from in front of him and ran down to the driveway.

Hunk shoved his hands in his pockets and followed her to the large white box truck parked in front of her house.

Two young guys were climbing out of the cab, one held a clipboard.

"Chief Lacko?" The one with the clipboard asked.

"That's me!" Paton jogged down the driveway. "You guys are amazing! I wasn't expecting you until Monday afternoon."

"It didn't take as long as we thought, Ma'am. And the weather's so nice, I figured you'd want to get started as soon as possible."

The other guy noticed Hunk coming toward them and did a double take. "Hey, you're Lieutenant Landers from the Voltron Force, aren't you?"

Hunk nodded. "Yeah, I am."

The guy looked from Hunk to Paton and then back again, a sly smile on his face.

Hunk didn't like the look on the guy's face and he was surprised by the possessive feelings welling up inside him. If this punk thought he could look at Paton like that and...

"Let's see it!" Paton's eager voice interrupted his thoughts as she ran to the back of the truck.

Inside were stacks of two by fours, pre-treated and pre-stained a rustic reddish brown.

"Oh! It's perfect! Just perfect!" She gasped, running her hand over the closest piece of wood.

"Where do you want it?" Clipboard guy asked.

"We can stack it around the side, where the deck is going."

"You're building your own deck?" Hunk asked.

"Yup! My brother made up some blueprints, wait until you see it! I can't wait to start!"

Hunk was more than a little disappointed that their moment had been interrupted, but he couldn't help but share in the joy Paton was radiating over her upcoming project. The four of them hauled the wood and stacked the two by fours and the precut posts around the side of the house. When they finished, Paton ran into the garage and came back with two large, blue tarps they wrapped around the wood.

After the delivery guys left, Hunk stood beside the tarp covered wood and asked Paton what her plan was.

"Well, that's going," she said, pointing to the tiny, wooden stoop in front of the side door that opened into the kitchen. "I thought about building the deck out back, but I didn't want anything to block the view from the window."

"Good thinking."

"It's going to come out to about here." She stood eight feet from the side of the house. "There will be a spot for a table and chairs at this end so we can eat out here and look out over the backyard, there will be a built in grill over here, and then the rest will be open for a seating area."

"When are you starting?" Hunk asked.

"As soon as possible. I think tomorrow I'm taking the stoop down and get ready to pour the concrete. Although, I'll probably have to wait until next weekend to pour it."

"I can help."

She smiled up at him. "Oh, Hunk, I can't ask you to spend all your free time helping me with manual labor."

"You didn't ask, I offered. Besides, I like building things and I like spending time with you."

"Well, I like building things and spending time with you, too," she replied, shyly.

"If you like, we can take the steps down now, and start laying out the footing. Do you have the wood for that?"

"Uh, yeah, it's out in my shed."

"We can do that today, pour the concrete tomorrow, and start building the deck next weekend."

Her eyes widened and for one, horrifying second, Hunk thought she was going to cry. Instead, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Hunk, so much," she whispered in his ear.

"My pleasure," he whispered back.


	3. Measure Twice, Cut Once

By the time Monday morning practice rolled around, Hunk was exhausted but exhilarated. He had spent two days helping Paton work on her house and her truck, he had gotten to know her better, and he was feeling himself falling fast for her. Any chance he got to stand close or steal a kiss, he took full advantage of, not that she seemed to mind.

This was all new to Hunk. Sure, he had dated and he was by no means an innocent virgin, but there was something definitely special about Paton. Not only was she beautiful and smart, but she was also quick witted, loved to work with her hands, and strongly independent. Hunk had never had a 'type' before, but as he's gotten to know Paton, it has become very clear that Police Chief Paton Lacko was his 'type'.

Assuming all went well this week with the arrival of the former Deikun slaves, Hunk made plans to help Paton at her place the following weekend, to start putting the porch up. After pouring the cement on Sunday afternoon, Paton had laid the blueprints out on the kitchen island and showed Hunk what she and her brother had worked up. It was going to be a lot of hard work, but once it was done, it would look as though it had always been a part of the old cottage and it would be a fantastic entertaining space.

"Hunk?" Pidge asked as they crossed the castle grounds. They had finished practice and the two of them were heading down to the old barracks that were being prepared for the visitors.

"What?"

"You spent a lot of time at the police chief's place this past weekend."

"Yup."

"What, uh, what's going on?"

"I think I found the woman I'm going to marry."

Pidge stopped abruptly. "You can't be serious."

Hunk turned to his friend. "I'm dead serious. She…well, it's like she was made for me. It's like whatever gods are out there, looked into my head, my heart and created her from every ideal I've ever had."

"Oh, geez, now you're spouting poetry? What is going on?"

"I think I'm in love with Paton."

"You haven't even known her a week."

"Keith fell in love with Allura about thirty seconds after they met and no one thought that was strange."

Pidge rolled his eyes. "I'm going to be the last bachelor standing, aren't I?"

"It's starting to look that way."

"She's coming to the picnic, isn't she?"

"Yeah, but she'll be working. Keith and Allura want the people coming to know the local police and who they can go to for help."

"So, you're not going to sneak off somewhere and make out, are you?"

Hunk shrugged as they reached the barracks. "I'm certainly going to try."

* * *

The picnic was a much larger affair than any of them had anticipated. Men, women, and children of all ages and conditions, most of them thin and weak, arrived on Arus. After Allura officially welcomed the former slaves to their new home, they were dismissed to eat and finally relax a little.

Hunk made his rounds with the other members of the Force, greeting people and welcoming them, letting the parents know they were going to be playing ball after lunch if their kids wanted to join. He kept an eye on Lance, knowing his teammate was just looking for a chance to pick a fight with Jesse McCormick, a guy they all knew, and disliked, from their days at the Academy. Something was going on with Jesse and Darcy, but Hunk didn't know the details.

After gathering a plate of food, Hunk made his way over to join a table with Pidge, Dante, and a handful of former slaves. These particular gentlemen looked healthier than the others and seemed to be pumping Pidge and Dante for information on the Arusian military.

Just as he set his plate down, Hunk saw Paton talking to a young family fresh off the transport ship. She was dressed in a formal uniform, one to make her stand out and let the visitors know who she was and where to find her. The uniform was made up of navy blue slacks with a gold stripe down the outside of the pant legs, a navy blue jacket with gold piping, and a crisp white blouse. She had a hat tucked under her arm and her thick, black hair was pulled back into a tight twist, not a single hair out of place. She gave off the aura of a no-nonsense professional, but the smile on her face made her appear friendly and approachable.

This was a completely different look from when he had seen her at the bar or hard at work on her house, but it was just as appealing. When she crouched down to the level of the child clinging to his mother's hand, Hunk felt his heart tighten in a new feeling he wasn't quite sure of.

"Hunk! Ground control to Hunk, come in Hunk!"

He tore his gaze from Paton and turned to look at Pidge. "What?"

"We've been trying to get your attention, are you with us here, man?"

Hunk set sat down on the bench across from his friend. "Sorry, I was distracted, what's up?"

Dante looked over his shoulder and saw Paton. "And what a lovely distraction it is."

Hunk scowled at him. "Watch it."

Shaking his head, Pidge tried to steer the conversation back to what he had been discussing with the former slaves. "These guys are interested in working on some of the ships, we had talked about mechanic training."

"Oh yeah, as the Air Brigade grows, we're going to need more help keeping the machines in top shape."

"What about the Lions?" One of the new guys asked.

Hunk shook his head. "Sorry, dude, we're the only ones who work on the Lions. But the planes we're getting from the Garrison for the Air Brigade are incredible and top of the line. If you have an interest in getting under the hood, you'll learn a lot and enjoy it. Excuse me."

As Paton made her way over to the food, Hunk left the guys behind to go talk to her. As he left, he heard Pidge mutter to Dante, "We've lost another one."

"Chief Lacko?"

She turned and her face lit up when she saw Hunk standing behind her. "Lieutenant Landers, how are you on this beautiful day?"

"I'm doing very well, how are you?"

She leaned closer and lowered her voice. "To be honest, a little overwhelmed. Did you know there were going to be this many people?"

"We had an idea, but I don't think any of us, including Allura, fully understood the sheer number."

Paton nodded. "Well, they're very lucky. Arus is the safest place for them and, I think, in the long run, we will all benefit from having the Deikuns join us here."

Hunk smiled at her. "How's the concrete?"

"Good! It's setting up real well. As long as it doesn't rain, we should be good to go next weekend."

"And as long as nothing happens, I'll be by early afternoon again. Keith has us upping our practice, Lotor is getting fidgety again."

She took a step closer. "How bad is it?"

He shrugged. "Nothing we can't handle."

"Keep me updated and let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

"Just keep an eye on Alforia so we can concentrate on doing away with Lotor."

* * *

The next couple of days seemed to spiral out of control as Caleb and Darcy went on a rescue mission to get Romelle off Pollux, where they were being attacked by Doom. During the rescue, Darcy was seriously injured.

Paton knew all that was going on as Hunk texted her daily, she had spent time with Darcy and the others at the picnic and had gotten to know, and like, the pilot. Her heart broke for Hunk as he helped one of his best friends deal with his girlfriend's injuries. It was also hard for him and the other Force members who had become close friends with Darcy.

Early Saturday morning, Paton set up her table saw in the side yard and began measuring and cutting the wood for the deck. She wasn't expecting Hunk to show up, he wasn't sure if he could get away. He had explained on the phone the night before that Keith was cracking down on their free time, they needed to be ready at any moment in case there was an attack.

She understood the importance of his work and his duty to Arus, but Paton would be lying if she didn't admit that she was disappointed he couldn't come down to help. From the beginning, she had been excited about doing all the work herself so she could step back when she was done and say "I did that!" But she quickly found that she enjoyed sharing the work with Hunk. Not only did he know what he was doing and made the work go more quickly, but she just enjoyed being with him.

The previous weekend, after they had poured the concrete foundation, he had taken a stick and written their initials and the date in the back corner of the wet concrete. He told her that someday, someone would find it and wonder who had built the deck.

He made the work she enjoyed so much more fun.

But there was still work to be done and she didn't want to get behind, so Paton got to work cutting the wood. The design her brother had come up with was a large octagonal shape with the floor done in a circular pattern. The end of the porch that lined up with the edge of the house was a rectangular section attached to one side of the octagon and would hold the table and chairs. The rectangle would be laid first and then the circular floor would start with longer pieces fitted in a large circle that gets tighter as it gets to the center. Each piece had to be carefully measured and cut to the exact specifications or her brother was going to show up on her doorstep and kick her butt.

By mid afternoon, Paton had made a large dent in cutting the wood. At this rate, she should have it all cut today and start installing tomorrow.

Just as she added another cut two by four to the pile, a car pulled into her driveway. The black paint job and dark windows made her think it was one of the castle cars, but it still shocked her when the door opened and Hunk stepped out, his tool box in one hand and his tool belt in the other.

Paton slid her safety goggles up to rest on top of her head as he crossed the yard.

"Hi," he said, half heartedly, as he slipped his belt on.

"Hi, how…how are you?"

"Oh, I've been better." He set his tool box on the ground and looked at her, his eyes darkened as they took in her old blue jeans, ripped at the knees, and the white tank top she was wearing, her tool belt slung low on her hips. "Actually, I'm doing better now."

"I didn't think you'd be here today."

"I needed to get out. Keith gave me a couple of hours."

He looked so tired, like he hadn't slept in days. She knew the practice schedule was brutal and he was worried about his friend. She walked over to him. "We don't have to do this now."

"I need to do something," he admitted quietly. "I need to keep busy."

She understood all too well what he was saying. When you feel helpless, when you want to do something but there is nothing you can do, you have to find some way to keep busy or you feel like you're losing your mind.

"I'm glad you came by."

"So am I. Spending time with you always helps."

Paton couldn't help the excited thrill that raced up her spine. "I'm glad to help in any way I can."

Hunk reached out and ran his hands up and down her arms before pulling her into a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and offered him the comfort he so obviously needed.

"Has there been any change at all?" Paton asked.

"She's off the respirator and breathing on her own."

She leaned back to look at him. "That's great news!"

"Yeah, but the longer she's unconscious, the more serious it becomes."

"How's Lance doing?"

"He doesn't leave her side." Hunk slowly released her from his embrace. "Let's get some work done. Where should I start?"

"Uh, well, I've been cutting the wood to size, you can start laying the table area if you want." Paton took him over to the table she had made with a couple of saw horses and a piece of plywood where she had tacked down the blue prints.

For the next two hours, Paton continued to cut the wood while Hunk started laying the floor. They worked in silence, concentrating on their tasks at hand.

* * *

Never before had Hunk thought he would be so turned on by a woman in ripped jeans, a tank top, and a tool belt. When he got out of the car, Paton stood beside the table saw, her left hip cocked and her hands on her hips and he had never seen a sexier image in his life.

And she didn't even realize the affect she had on him.

But then he was overcome with guilt at the thoughts entered his mind. He should not be having the thoughts he was having about Paton while Arus was under threat and his teammate was unconscious in the hospital.

"Wow, I didn't expect to get this much work done today."

Hunk looked up to see Paton standing over him as he knelt on the small completed section of deck, his drill in hand. "When you're as organized as you are about all this, the work goes by fast."

"Why don't we take a break?"

"Sounds good to me." He stood and followed her into the house.

"I have iced tea, beer, water. What can I get you?"

"You know what, a beer would be nice right about now."

Paton took off her tool belt and set it on the counter. "When do you have to go back to the castle?"

"Unless Keith contacts me sooner, I don't have to be back until six."

"That gives us an hour and a half. I'd offer to make something for dinner, but I just don't feel like it. Want to order something in?"

Hunk leaned against the island and took the beer she offered. "Sure. There is a new pizza place in town, isn't there?"

She nodded. "We ordered it for lunch the other day at the station, the thin crust is good."

"Sounds good to me." He watched as she turned to the counter where she had an ad from the restaurant and dialed in to place the order. Deciding to give in to the same instinct that had led him to cross the bar and have Keith introduce him to Paton, Hunk walked up behind her and traced a finger down her muscular arm.

She shivered and whirled around, pointing to the phone pressed to her ear. "Delivery."

Grinning mischievously, Hunk leaned over and pressed a kiss to her shoulder at the edge of her tank top strap. She smelled like sawdust and sunshine.

Paton tried to swat him away. "Pepperoni."

Hunk kissed her cheek and whispered. "And sausage."

"Can we add sausage to the pizza as well?" She asked, putting her hand on his chest and only half-heartedly pushing him away. "Do we want breadsticks?"

"Of course," he murmured, capturing her earlobe between his teeth.

"Yeah, we'll take an order of breadsticks…okay…sounds good…thanks." Paton turned off her phone and set it on the counter. She put her hands on his chest and gently pushed him back. "A couple of things, one, I am starving and you made it really hard to place that order."

Hunk shrugged. "You did fine."

"And two, I am sweaty and gross."

He moved so she was pinned between him and the counter. "No, you're glowing and you're beautiful." Sliding his hands down her sides to her hips, Hunk gently pressed his lips to hers, coaxing a kiss from her as he gripped her hips and picked her up, setting her on the edge of the counter so he could move to stand between her legs, getting closer and deepening the kiss.

Paton slid her hands up his arms, over his shoulders and wrapped them loosely around his neck.

He lifted his head to look down at her as she licked her lips and leaned forward to press a kiss to his neck. "You know what I've wanted to do since I saw you at the picnic?"

She leaned back to look at him, "I can imagine."

"Oh, you have no idea. But whenever I see your hair up like this." He slid his hand up the back of her neck to where her hair had been piled into a messy bun to keep it out of the way. "I want to pull out every pin or tie or whatever you use and watch it fall."

"Really?"

"When you were all prim and proper in your uniform and your hair was so perfectly twisted back, I just really wanted to mess it all up."

She laughed and locked her fingers behind his neck. "Why?"

"I love your hair," he said, sliding his fingers up until he felt the small metal pins. "And I want to feel it falling into my fingers." He wiggled his fingers and felt a few of the pins fall as her hair came loose. "Do you always wear it back in a twist like that when you're on duty?"

She closed her eyes and let her head fall back into his hand as he massaged her scalp. "Yeah, I have to keep it back, it gives perps something to grab hold of."

He scowled. "I don't like thinking about you wrestling some perp."

Paton opened her eyes and met his gaze with her own. "Well, I don't like thinking about you going into battle, but we both have our duties to fulfill. So…what do you want to do about it?"

Hunk watched her hair fall down to her shoulders around the hand he still had cradling the back of her head. He pulled her close so her cheek pressed against his and he could whisper in her ear. "We could both quit and start a construction company."

She laughed. "We'll keep that as our retirement plan."

Her laughter quickly turned to a gasp when he swiped his tongue across the side of her neck.

He smiled against her skin before doing it again and her gasp turned to a groan. "You're so beautiful," he whispered.

"Hunk."

He lifted his head to look at her.

"I need to go take a shower."

"Is that an invitation?" He asked.

Paton hesitated before responding, bringing her hand down over his shoulder to his chest, laying her palm over his racing heart. "Maybe."

"I could wash your back." He offered.

"The pizza will be here in 20 minutes, can we be done by then?"

The last thing Hunk wanted was for their first time together to be rushed. He considered telling her to forget the food, something he had never even thought of doing before, when he felt a vibration in his pocket. With a disappointed sigh, he pulled his communicator out of and flipped it open. "Yeah, Landers."

"Hey, Hunk, we need you back at the castle." Keith replied.

"Now?"

"Yes now."

"Is it Darcy?"

"Actually, that's the good news, she came to and there was no brain or spinal damage. She has a long road to recovery ahead of her, but she'll be fine."

Paton squeezed his free hand excitedly.

"That's great news, Cap."

"We have to have a meeting though. We're getting some new intel and I want to get everyone on the same page as soon as possible."

"All right, I'll be there in less than ten." Hunk snapped his communicator shut and looked up at Paton. "Sorry."

"Duty calls," she said, understandingly.

"I want to see you again, soon."

"Any time, Hunk." Paton slid off the counter and walked to the door with him. "Sorry you'll miss the pizza."

"More sorry I'll miss the shower."

She went up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss. "Keep me updated and let me know if there is anything I can do."

Hunk hesitated a moment, he wanted to tell her how he felt, but it just didn't seem like the right time. "I will. Goodbye, Paton."

"Goodbye, Hunk."

* * *

The next day, Hunk swapped his guard duty with Caleb so he could spend most of the day with Paton. With all the wood cut, they made quick work of the deck floor. They spent all afternoon, working in unison, finishing up early in the evening.

Grabbing cold pizza and beer, they ate dinner sitting in the middle of the deck, facing each other.

"I can't thank you enough," Paton said. "There is no way I could have gotten this done so quickly without you."

"I've enjoyed myself," he told her. "Are we doing the railing next weekend?"

"If you'd like to."

"I would. We could probably have the whole thing done in a couple days."

"The grill is scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday."

"Will you be here to get it?"

"I'm having them deliver it to the station, I'll have them load it into Petunia and bring it home after work."

Hunk took a swig of his beer. "You're not unloading it yourself, are you?"

"I can do it."

"I can bring a two-wheeler down from the castle and help."

Paton leaned back on her hands and stared at him. "I feel like I'm using you too much."

He winked at her. "You can use me all you want."

"Oh, can I?" She asked, seductively licking her lip.

"Name it."

"Clean the gutters."

"I'll expect payment for that one."

"How much?"

Pushing aside the plates, he leaned over and kissed her. "Use your imagination."

"I could bake you cookies."

He shrugged. "That'll work."

"You want another beer?" She asked, standing and picking up the plates.

"No, thanks, I'm good. Need help?"

"Nah, I can handle a couple of plates." Paton carried them inside and put them in the dishwasher before returning to the deck.

Hunk was stretched out on his back, his hands folded behind his head.

"You look comfy," she said, sitting down beside him.

"It is quite comfy."

Paton turned and lay perpendicular to him, leaning back to use his chest as a pillow.

Hunk removed his left hand from behind his head, running it down her arm. Taking the hint, Paton reached up and took his hand.

For several minutes they laid in companionable silence watching the sky darken and the stars begin to pop out.

"I could stay here all night," Paton sighed.

"I wish we could." He agreed.

"Tell me about being on the Voltron Force."

"Why?"

"I like listening to you and feeling your chest rumble under my head."

He chuckled. "I can't be a very comfortable pillow."

She brought their joined hands up so she could kiss his fingers. "You're very comfy."

For nearly an hour, they watched the sun set and the stars appear as Hunk told her about the team arriving on Arus and the battles they fought. She was full of questions about Doom and Lotor, about the rebuilding, and Voltron.

"I have to head back to the castle."

"I know."

"I don't want to go."

"I don't want you to."

Hunk squeezed her hand. "Come up to the castle for dinner."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I want you to know my friends."

"When?"

"Pick an evening you're free, you're welcome any time."

"How about Wednesday, you come help me unload the grill and then we can go up the castle."

"Sounds good to me."

"What should I wear?"

Hunk laughed. "Whatever you're comfortable in, it's just a regular dinner, not a state dinner."

"Don't laugh at me, this'll be my first time in a castle." She sat up and stretched.

He stood and held his hands out to her, helping her to her feet. "Just come and be your awesome self and we'll have a great time."


	4. Keeping Level

Wednesday evening, Paton found herself feeling incredibly nervous. It was silly, really, she knew and liked Keith and Allura, she was just visiting their house. So what if it was a castle, center of the planet, the command center of the Voltron Force?

Despite Hunk assuring her it was casual, she had made him wait after they unloaded the grill for her to throw on a skirt and sweater and a bit of make-up.

She followed Hunk in her truck as he drove a castle car into the garage. She knew the castle was fuller than usual, Sven and Romelle were still there with their newborn son, Erik. Paget and Rankin were planning their wedding due to take place in another week, which was going to be the first big event Paton attended with Hunk.

As they unloaded the grill, Hunk had told her that something was happening, there was intel about a new second-in-command that Lotor had picked up, someone they thought might be his brother. He gently warned her that he was going to be really busy and not able to visit as much as he had been.

Paton knew their work and their schedules were going to cause some problems in building their relationship, but it still disappointed her. Not that she would ever tell him that. She never wanted to make Hunk feel as though he had to choose, just as she hoped he would never ask her to choose.

"You ready?" Hunk asked, opening Petunia's driver side door after she pulled into a parking spot.

She grinned at him. "Yup."

Most of the guys were already gathered in the rec room, waiting for the guest of honor. Keith was still locked up in his office, Allura was in a meeting with Koran, and Romelle and Sven were taking care of Erik.

"Paton!" Darcy crossed quickly across the room when she saw her. "I'm so glad you're here. Do you know what you're wearing to the wedding?"

"Uh, no, not yet."

"Romelle, Allura and I went shopping today, I think I found what I want, but we didn't have a lot of time, I'd like to hit up a couple of other stores. Are you free either Saturday or Monday or Tuesday evening?"

"Yeah, I can do Monday or Tuesday. I should get something new."

"Awesome! I need a fresh opinion."

"You'll look amazing in anything," Lance said as he came up beside her, sliding his arm around her waist. "Hi Paton, how are you?"

"I'm doing well, thanks Lance. How're you?"

"Now that Darcy is officially off bed rest and feeling good, I couldn't be any better."

"Sorry for the delay," Allura announced as she and Keith entered the room. "But we can head into the dining room now."

As she and Hunk walked out into the hall, Allura fell into step with them. "Paton, I am so glad you could join us for dinner. I have been bugging Hunk to get you to come but I think he's embarrassed of us."

Hunk shook his head. "Not all of you, just Lance."

"Ha! I heard that!" Lance said. "You wish you were as amazing as I am."

"We all wish we were as amazing as you think you are!" Hunk shot back.

Paton quickly forgot her nerves as she was welcomed into the fold of the extended Voltron family. She was brought into conversations, joined in to tease Lance, and even gave her opinion on what was being served at the wedding.

The food was amazing and by the time the dessert plates were cleared away, Paton was sure she was going to have to be rolled out of the building.

"Do you have to go right away?" Hunk asked.

She checked her watch. "No, I can hang out a while longer."

"Want a tour?"

"I'd love one."

"Oh, Hunk," Allura came up to them before they left the dining room. "Can I steal Paton away from you for a quick moment?"

He nodded.

"I want to tell you again how happy I am you could come tonight," Allura said as she led Paton down the hallway. "I just wanted to take the opportunity to tell you how pleased I am with your work with the police department. I know you've been reporting directly to Keith, but he passes everything on to me. To be honest, I wasn't sure about someone so new, so young stepping in as police chief, but I am so happy to admit my reservations were totally unwarranted."

"Thank you, that means a lot to me," Paton replied.

Allura stopped and turned to look up at her. "I also wanted to extend an open invitation to you to visit the castle any time. If you want a free dinner, just text Hunk and let him know, we'll put out an extra plate."

"Thanks, again, that's very generous of you."

"These guys," Allura glanced down toward the rec room where everyone was gathering. "I just love them, they're the best. The best soldiers, the best pilots, the best men I've ever known. Hunk…Hunk has the biggest heart and the kindest soul."

Paton smiled at her. "I couldn't agree more."

"You make him happy, anyone can see it, but starting a relationship with one of these guys isn't easy. None of us work normal hours, we're all on the clock 24 hours a day, every day. When there is a threat we can't leave the castle, they need to get to the Lions as soon as possible. Dating isn't easy and watching them go into battle is absolutely terrifying. But I feel that what you and Hunk have is real and I'd like to see you make it. We are getting new intel and we're currently under high alert, unfortunately that means Hunk won't have the free time to visit you that he has had until we get this taken care of."

"I understand."

"I know you do and I appreciate it. So, please, take advantage of my open invitation. The castle is huge and it is easier than you think to find a place for a quiet date and not be bothered. It will take a little work, but I think you guys can make it."

"Thank you, Allura, that means a lot to me."

The Queen reached out and took Paton's hand. "If you ever need to talk, please know you can come to me. I have no doubt we'll be great friends and being involved with a Voltron pilot is different than a normal relationship, Darcy and I know that better than anyone. Don't hesitate to call me or text me if you need to. And rest assured that when they go into battle, I will personally make sure you are kept abreast of what is going on."

Paton squeezed her hand. "Thank you."

"Come on." Allura moved to slip her arm through Paton's and walk to the rec room with her. "I think Hunk offered you a tour?"

"He did."

"Enjoy it and scope out some good date spots."

* * *

The next few weeks were intense. Rankin and Paget's wedding had been interrupted by Landor and Lotor, sending Keith and Sven to the hospital. A couple of weeks after that, the reception held to announce Allura's pregnancy had been disrupted when the queen had been kidnapped by Landor.

Hunk and Paton had had very little time together. They texted and talked on the phone when they could and she had come up to the castle for dinner a couple of times and they had had some alone time afterwards.

But he missed their time together working on the cottage. Now that Landor was in custody and Lotor dead, Hunk was looking forward to spending his off time with her.

Paton had completed the deck and laid the wood floor inside, she replaced the banister leading to the upstairs, and painted the hallway. Her next step was to attack the front porch.

Hunk couldn't have been happier as he sat on the newly completed deck at Paton's cottage, a beer in hand, watching the sun set over the trees. They were just waiting on the dining table and chairs to be delivered sometime in the next week for it to be officially complete.

"I've been thinking," Paton said as she walked out with a plate of burgers to put on the grill.

"That can be dangerous."

She stuck her tongue out at him as she walked past. "Smartass. No, the table and chairs are set to be delivered soon, let's have a party and break in the deck."

"I like that idea."

"We can invite the Force and the guys at the station."

"When do you want to do it?"

Paton carefully laid the patties on the hot grill and turned to him. "Well, my birthday is coming up and I thought we could all get together and celebrate. No presents or anything, just hang out and have fun. I want to put lights around the railing, we could set up speakers and play music. What do you think?"

Hunk stopped listening after she said 'my birthday is coming up'. When was her birthday? What should he get her?

"Hunk?"

"What?"

"I asked what you think about the party idea?"

"Oh, I think it sounds great. When do you want to do it?"

"I was thinking the 19th."

The 19th, that gave him two weeks to figure out what to get her. "Let's do it. I'll have Nanny make you a cake."

"Oh, I don't want to put her out and I don't want to make a big deal about my birthday, I just want an excuse to get everyone together."

"Nope, it's your birthday, you'll have a cake. What kind do you like?"

Paton sat in the chair beside him. "Hm, what about something with raspberry filling?"

"I'll let her know. What else would you like?"

She reached over and took his hand. "All I want is to spend an evening with you and our friends on the awesome deck we've built. I don't need anything else."

He lifted their hands and pressed a kiss to the back of hers. "You're on. I'll let everyone up at the castle know."

"I'm serious, Hunk, I don't want to make a big deal about it being my birthday. I shouldn't have said anything."

"I know, we won't make a big deal out of it, but we will have a fun night."

As soon as Hunk returned to the castle he hunted down Nanny and asked if she could make a cake, something special, with raspberries. Then he went to find Allura.

He found her and Darcy in the queen's office.

"I need advice," he announced.

Darcy looked him up and down. "Yeah, I'd throw that shirt out."

He scowled at her. "You've been spending too much time with Lance."

She shrugged, "He _is _a bad influence, but he's cute."

"What's up?" Allura asked.

Hunk sat on the sofa. "Paton's birthday is coming up and I need to come up with a gift."

"How serious are you?" Darcy asked.

"Very."

A slow smile spread across Allura's pretty face. "You're in love."

He nodded.

"Oh, Hunk, that's wonderful! I am so happy for you!"

"I haven't exactly told her yet."

"Why not?"

"There just hasn't been the right moment yet."

"You'll know when the right moment comes. What are you thinking about for her present?"

"No idea. We're having a party to celebrate and break in the new deck, you're all invited, of course. I've been thinking about this since she mentioned her birthday, she said she doesn't want to do a lot, but I want to do something."

"Jewelry?" Allura asked.

"I thought of that, but I don't know where to begin. She's kind of a tomboy, nothing too girly."

"Even tomboys like something a little girly from time to time," Darcy said.

"It doesn't have to be something shiny or glittery or fancy, it just has to be something that lets her know you know her. Something that is just Paton." Allura said.

He threw his hands in the air. "But what is that? I don't even know where to start."

"Right now, she's concentrating on her house, maybe you can do something for that," Darcy suggested.

"That's a good idea."

"Maybe something for the deck you built together."

Allura sighed. "That's such a sweet story you can tell your kids some day. You fell in love while building the deck. You should get married on the deck!"

"Whoa!" Hunk stood and held up his hands in surrender. "Slow down, princess, we've only known each other for a couple of months, too soon to talk marriage."

"Sorry, I guess I got a little excited."

Hunk grinned at his friends. "I appreciate your help, I'm going to go look for some ideas."

"Good luck," Allura called after him. "Oh, and Hunk?"

He stepped in the doorway and turned around. "Yeah?"

"I'm queen now, not a princess."

Hunk laughed and bent at the waist in a deep bow. "I beg your forgiveness, Your Highness."

She stuck her nose in the air. "You're forgiven. For now. Don't let it happen again."

* * *

Hunk wandered through the new store in Alforia, Welcome Home, hoping to find something special. In the gardening section he found a lot of fun items – bird feeders, statues, fairy houses, and whirligigs – and he saw a few he liked, but nothing jumped out at him as being just the right gift.

Just because he liked it, Hunk picked up the statue of a little sleeping baby dragon, it would be adorable beside the three steps that led up to the deck from the yard. Then he saw the octagonal bird feeder and the gnome wearing a tool belt and the light changing glowing globes and an idea struck. He went to the front of the store and grabbed a cart, filling it with anything he thought she would like.

That night, after he knew she was asleep, Hunk drove over to her house. He cut the lights on the car and parked half a block away. He knew he was taking a chance, sneaking onto the police chief's property and hoping he wasn't caught, but if he could make it work, she would love it.

The next morning, Hunk returned from practice to a text message. There was a picture of the sleeping baby dragon statue next to the deck steps and the message: _Check out who I found sleeping by the deck this morning! His name is Li'l Henry._

Hunk grinned at the screen and replied: _I hope he doesn't sneeze and burn down the deck!_

A moment later his phone alerted him to another text message. _It's ok if he does, I know a big sexy man who knows how to wield a drill and rebuild a deck_.

The next morning, Paton stepped out onto her deck and found a stake in the ground with a bird feeder swinging from it. It was just around the corner of the house, so she could sit at the table and watch the birds.

She had never been a fan of silly, kitschy items before, but she was finding herself utterly charmed by all the effort Hunk was putting into his surprises for her and she was looking forward to what she would find every morning.

Three days later, after finding colorful throw pillows on the outdoor sofa, a garden gnome in a tool belt beside the garage door, and small, softly glowing globes lining the steps up to the deck, Paton couldn't imagine what he could possibly do next. The overall effect made the outside of her cottage seem more inviting, more homey.

It was Thursday and Hunk had texted her that afternoon to see if she wanted to meet for dinner when she was done with work. She wasn't sure if he knew it or not, but today was her actual birthday. Of course he knew. He had to know. It's in her file, Keith must have told him.

At the end of her shift, she went to the locker room and changed into a blue dress she loved, but rarely had the chance to wear. It was fitted and came to just above her knees. A thin black belt matched the heels she loved but also rarely wore because the three inch heels usually meant she was towering over her date.

"Whoa, Chief, you look fantastic!"

Paton smiled at the two female patrol officers who were returning from duty. "Thanks Klotnic."

"I don't know who he is, but he's a lucky man," Allia Gratik said as she opened her locker.

"Oh, I don't know," Paton muttered as she looked in the mirror one last time. "I think I'm the lucky one."

* * *

Hunk was waiting in the police station parking lot, leaning against Petunia. He saw her before she saw him and his eyes widened as lust punched him hard in the stomach. Her legs seemed to go on for miles, from her sexy high heeled shoes to the bottom of the tight blue skirt of her dress. The color of the dress made her eyes pop intensely. She moved with grace and confidence and such beauty, Hunk felt his breath catch in his chest and any greeting was lost when she finally saw him and waved.

"Hi, Hunk!"

He just nodded to her and noticed her expression change to one of concern.

"Is something wrong?" She asked as she approached.

Hunk set the bouquet of multi-colored daisies he had in his hand on the hood of the truck, wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her flush against him, capturing her mouth in a kiss that expressed his feelings with more finesse than any words he could possibly come up with. He felt her relax against him and give herself over to his kiss.

"Wow," she whispered when he finally came up for air.

"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he quietly confessed.

"If I'd had known you'd react like this, I would've worn this dress ages ago."

"It's not the dress. Don't get me wrong, the dress is lovely and you look fantastic in it, but it's you. Whether you're wearing this dress, your uniform, or torn jeans and a tank top, _you_ are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Her eyes widened and her face blossomed into a lovely smile. "Thank you."

"Here," he picked up the flowers he had set on the car. "These are for you."

"They're lovely, thank you. Again."

"We have reservations at Café on Main."

"Would you like to drive?"

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? You'd let me drive Petunia?"

"It's a special night," she replied, holding out her keys. "Don't get used to it."

Hunk pulled up in front of the intimate café and jumped out of the truck, hurrying around to help her down. He opened the door and offered her his hand, neither her skirt nor her shoes were meant for climbing easily into or out of a large pick-up truck.

"Oh, shit," Hunk muttered as they approached the café's entrance.

"What's wrong?" Paton asked, snapping to attention.

"Come on, let's get inside, I'll explain." He led her quickly through the doors of the restaurant and gave his name to the hostess.

The hostess grabbed a couple of menus and showed them to a table in a back corner near the fireplace.

After they were seated, Paton set her menu down and watched as Hunk scanned the restaurant. "Okay, what's going on?"

He reached across the table and took her hands in his. "I love my job. I love being a pilot and flying Yellow, I love my teammates and Arus, I love pretty much everything about being on the Voltron Force."

She nodded slowly, not sure what he was getting at.

"The only thing I don't love about my job is the celebrity and the loss of privacy. I know we haven't gone on any real dates, mostly hanging out at your place or the castle. But I wanted to do something special for you, for your birthday."

"This is special, any time I get to spend with you is special," Paton assured him.

"I had hoped going to dinner early like this would let us get in under their radar," he continued.

"Who's radar?"

"Word has been spreading online that I've been seeing someone, I had hoped to keep it under wraps as long as possible. What we have is no one's business but ours'. But, I'm afraid we're about to be outed."

"Hunk, get to the point."

"We just had our picture taken as we were coming in. You're about to be famous."

Paton sat back, her hands slipping from his as she thought about what he was telling her. She loved being with Hunk and she didn't care who knew that they were seeing each other, but she also enjoyed her privacy and didn't want the media prying into her life. Being judged online, people could be so mean when they were hiding behind online anonymity.

"Paton?"

She smiled softly and laid her hands over his. "It's all right, I'm sure it won't be that big of a deal, they'll get tired of me. And as long as I can be with you, I can handle whatever they throw at me."

He turned his hands over and threaded his fingers through hers. "I love you."

Her eyes widened, but her grin was even bigger. Hunk knew he would never forget the look of absolute joy that his words had put on her face.

"I love you, too."

Hunk stood up and leaned across the table, brushing his lips over hers in a gentle kiss.

* * *

A couple of hours later, they left the restaurant in a cloud of wine, good food, and the joy of newly expressed love. Paton tried not to notice the way Hunk seemed to shield her as they made their way to her truck. She couldn't see any photographers, but there were a lot of people around.

"Want me to drive?" She offered as they approached Petunia. "I can drop you at the castle."

"Nope." Hunk helped her up into the passenger seat. "You said I could drive tonight and I want to drive."

"I can't thank you enough for tonight," Paton said as they rode down Main Street, away from the town and toward her cottage. "This has been the best birthday ever."

"It's not over yet," he promised.

She turned to look at him. "Well, you're feeling awfully sure of yourself, aren't you?"

Hunk took her hand in his and squeezed it. "Don't worry, I would never make you feel you have to do anything you don't want to do."

Paton felt her heart flip over in her chest. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she slid across the bench seat, lifting their joined hands so she was pressed up against his side and his arm was around her.

"What happens if we get pulled over and the police chief is caught not wearing her seatbelt?" He teased.

"I can probably talk my way out of a ticket."

"It's good to have connections."

She noticed the black car in her driveway. "Did you drive here and then walk into town?"

Hunk shook his head and kissed her forehead. "Come on, we need to get your flowers in water before they wilt anymore."

They entered the house through the garage and Hunk went straight out to the deck while Paton filled a vase with water. She arranged the flowers and carried them outside with her, stopping in the doorway, unsure what to do next.

Hunk was walking up the steps, having just lit the torches that had been stuck in the ground surrounding the deck. Strings of twinkling, star shaped lights were twined around the railings, and on the table in front of the couch was an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne sticking out of it, two champagne flutes, and two small candles.

Hunk crossed over to her and took the vase of flowers from her hands. "You said you wanted lights for your party. You also said you didn't want to make a big deal out of your birthday or have people feel they need to bring presents to your party, so I thought we would celebrate tonight and I would make a big deal out of your birthday tonight. On Saturday, it'll be a fun day with our friends. Tonight, it's just me and you."

"When…when did you do all this?"

"My friends helped out while we were at the restaurant. They dropped me off at the station and then left the car here for me when they were done so I had a car."

"You have the best friends," she whispered.

"_We_ have the best friends. They all love you."

Paton took his face in her hands and kissed him. "Thank you."

"Come on, let's have some champagne."

While Hunk poured their drinks, Paton slipped her shoes off and curled her legs under her. When he turned to hand her the glass, Hunk noticed she had her arms folded around herself. He slipped his sports coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders and then handed her the glass.

"Happy birthday," he toasted, tapping his glass against hers.

"No, to the best, the absolute best, boyfriend ever."

"I'll toast to that."

Paton laughed. "You make me so happy."

"That is the highest compliment you could have ever paid me," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "We did a fantastic job on this deck."

"We did."

"And the floor is down inside."

"It is."

"So, what's next?"

"The front porch needs a lot of work and I've been thinking about putting in a fire pit over there. I'm also waiting on the new roof shingles, I ordered them over a month ago, they should be here in a couple of weeks."

"What's taking so long?"

Paton cuddled closer and laid her head on his shoulder. "They're specially made, they have character and will make the cottage look even more like a fairy tale."

"How so?"

"They'll make the house look like it has a thatched roof."

"No way! Where did you find those?"

"Online. They're coming from Prinir so most of wait is the shipping."

"I'll take care of the shingling."

She lifted her head to look at him. "Excuse me?"

"I don't want you climbing up on the roof, it's not safe."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

Paton sat up straight and punched him in the arm. "Jerk. This is _my_ house. If want to shingle the roof, I will do it."

Hunk grinned at her. "Everyone knows girls can't climb."

"Oh yeah? Want to see me climb that tree over there?"

He looked down at her clinging dress. "Yeah, I kinda do."

"I can climb all kinds of things."

"Like trees and ladders?"

"Yup." She set her empty glass on the table and did the same with his before sliding her leg over his and straddling his lap. "And other things."

He slid his hands under his sports coat to rest on her hips. "Are you saying you could climb me?"

Paton wove her fingers into his hair and leaned forward to gently kiss him. "Would you mind if I did?"

"Not even a little bit."

Sliding her hands over his shoulders and down to his chest, laying them flat against his pecs, Paton leaned forward until she was laying against him and her cheek was against his shoulder, nuzzling his neck. "Thank you for such a wonderful birthday week, I've loved everything you've given me."

Hunk slid his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly to him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She pressed little kisses to his neck.

Leaning his head back against the couch, Hunk closed his eyes and just relished in the joy of holding her close. He could feel her fingers moving over his chest, but it didn't register what she was doing until he felt her cool hands on his warm skin.

"You're gorgeous," she breathed as she spread his shirt open.

"Is this what happens when I ply you with wine and champagne?"

"When do you have to be back at the castle?"

"7 am."

She looked up at him. "Really?"

"As long as I'm back in time for practice, I can stay all night."

"Will you stay?"

"Absolutely." Hunk slipped his hands under her backside and shifted her off his lap so he could stand and take her hands. "Let's move this party inside."

"Hold on." Paton grabbed the champagne and their glasses. "I'm not done with this yet."

"Oh, we're just getting started." Hunk followed her through the door. "Oh wait, crap, hold on!"

"What is it?"

"The torches, I need to put them out. Just…wait here, I'll be right back."

Paton stood in the kitchen, her heart racing and her entire body trembling. She was so ready to be with Hunk, so excited to take this next step, so madly in love with him. Then an idea struck.

* * *

Hunk ran back into the kitchen and found Paton gone. His sports coat was tossed on the counter. He grabbed it and reached into the pocket for her final gift. Then he saw a pile of blue fabric at the bottom of the steps.

He tossed his jacket back down when he realized it was her dress. If her dress was on the floor then…

Hunk raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time. At the top of the stairs were two scraps of silky nylon. Her stockings.

The door to her bedroom was open just a crack. He slowly pushed it open and for the second time that day was left breathless by what he saw.

Paton had set the champagne on the bedside table and turned on the small lamp. As he entered, she turned to greet him wearing a silvery satin bra and panties set that were trimmed with black lace.

"Wow." He whispered.

She was obviously trying to hide her nerves and looked as though she wasn't sure where to put her hands, as though she was fighting to cover herself. Hunk quickly crossed to her and took her hands. He leaned down to give her a lingering kiss before taking a step back, still holding her hands, so he could see all of her.

"You are absolutely breathtaking. I could spend the rest of my life just looking at you."

"Well, that would get boring," she teased, nervously.

"Never." He released her right hand so he could trace the edge of her bra, starting at the shoulder strap and then down over the swell of her breast. "As much as I want to get you out of this, I want to just keep looking at you."

"I can't wait much longer for you to touch me."

"Don't worry, I'm going to touch you, a lot. But, wow, Paton." He lifted his eyes to hers. "Honey, I can honestly say I've never felt this way about anyone before. I've never been this attracted to, this in love with, this overwhelmed by a woman before."

"Oh, Hunk," she whispered, squeezing his hand. "I feel the same way. About you, not some random woman."

He laughed. "I have one more present for you."

"You've already done so much."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small box he had taken from his coat pocket and held it out to her. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

Paton untied the thin gold ribbon and lifted the top off the box. Inside, nestled on a bed of cotton was a small glass tube filled with greenish-yellow liquid and two lines around the middle. When she pulled it out, she saw the ornately carved silver caps on either end, connected to a long silver chain. She grinned as she held the necklace up and let it catch the light. "It's a level necklace."

"Not only is it a reminder of how we feel in love while building the deck," he whispered, running his hands down her sides until they came to rest on her waist, pulling her close. "But because you have brought a balance to my life I never knew was missing."

"Oh, honey," Paton sighed, stepping into his embrace. "Thank you, so much, for everything. For the best birthday, the best night of my life."

"We're just getting started," he assured her.

"Really? Because I was just going to go to bed now." She turned and set her necklace on the dresser.

"You are going to do that."

Before she could respond, Hunk swept her up in his arms and carried her over to gently lay her on the bed. As he leaned over to lay her down, Paton took his face in her hands and pulled him down for a kiss.

He stood up and pulled his shirt off.

"Wow," she breathed, getting up on her knees in front of him, running her hands over his chest. "Not bad."

"Thank you." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a sleeve of four condoms, setting them on the bedside table.

"Look at you, being all prepared," she teased lightly.

"Babe, I've been coming to your house _prepared_ for a couple of weeks now."

"Really? Hoping to get lucky?"

"Hoping, wishing, praying. Whatever it took." He leaned over her, forcing her back onto the bed.

She ran her hands over his chest, up to his shoulders, and down his arms. "Seriously, all you had to do was take your shirt off and it would have sealed the deal."

"If I had known that, I would have showed up shirtless the first time I came here," he murmured, running his hands down her sides and then up over her ribs to cup her breasts in his hands. "You are a work of art."

"I love the way you make me feel," she sighed, arching her body under his hands.

"How do you feel?" He asked, nipping at the underside of her jaw.

"Beautiful. Wanted. Loved."

Hunk rose up and braced himself on his arms so he was looking down at her. "You are. More than you will ever know."


	5. Cracks in the Foundation

Hunk was not a morning person. He had perfected the ability to get up, dressed, and showered in ten minutes, get down to the kitchen and eat breakfast in fifteen minutes, and be in Castle Control five minutes before practice began. This meant he could sleep in until half an hour before practice. And he enjoyed every second.

When Paton's alarm went off earlier than he expected, he swore quietly.

Paton's giggles were muffled against her pillow.

"What time is it?" He grumbled.

"5:00."

"AM?"

Paton turned so she was facing him. "Yup."

He swore again.

She rubbed her hand against the stubble on his cheek. "Not a morning person, huh?"

He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him. "I never understood how anyone could be."

"I like to get in a run before work."

"Not this morning you're not."

She snuggled closer, nuzzling his shoulder. "It's never a good idea to get lazy and ignore your regimen."

"Oh, I'm not saying you won't get some exercise this morning." Hunk kissed the top of her head as he rolled her under him.

Forty five minutes later, Hunk followed the scent of bacon down to the kitchen, his hair still wet from the shower. "Something smells amazing."

Paton stood at the stove in her yellow bathrobe. "I feel like we've worked up an appetite."

"You didn't have to make me breakfast," he said, stepping up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I know, but I wanted to."

He kissed the top of her head. "I had a great time last night."

She tilted her head back against his shoulder so she could see him. "Me too. Best. Birthday. Ever."

* * *

Paton found she had to make an effort to keep from grinning as she walked into the police station. She felt light and happy and loved, like it was radiating off her in all directions and her entire staff would know she had just spent last night with the pilot of Yellow Lion.

And when she walked Hunk to the door that morning, he turned to her and whispered, "You are beautiful, you are wanted, and you are loved." He then gave her a quick kiss and a wink before leaving for the castle.

Paton couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy.

She had just sat at her desk when there was a knock on her office door. "And so it begins," she muttered. "Come in!"

Sergeant Cheskee, the desk sergeant, entered. "Line 3, Ma'am, she says she's a reporter."

"I don't have time for that, pass her on to media relations, Scholas will deal with it."

"She insisted she speak with you."

"She can insist all she wants, have her speak with Scholas."

"Uh, Chief, I think you better speak with her."

Paton looked up and saw him avoiding her gaze. "All right, thanks Sergeant."

As soon as the door closed behind him, she picked up the phone and pressed the flashing Line 3 button. "This is Chief Lacko."

"Chief! So glad I could get through to you! This is Nova Schlal of _Arus Today_, how are you?"

"What can I do for you, Ms. Schlal?"

"All business, I see."

"I'm quite busy and I need to get to work. If you have any questions or need a comment on a case you should contact Andria Scholas, our Chief Information Officer, and she can assist you."

"I'd much rather get the information directly from the source."

Paton took a deep breath and fought back the urge to hang up. As much as she hated to admit it, they needed the media as much as the media needed them and she couldn't afford to make enemies with them. "What information?"

"We would love a comment from you about your relationship with Lieutenant Henry 'Hunk' Landers of the Voltron Force."

Paton bolted straight up in her chair. "Excuse me?"

"We have exclusive photos of the two of you at the Café on Main yesterday evening and eye witness accounts of a very romantic meal. Is it serious?"

"What?"

"Your relationship, is it serious?"

"Yes. I mean, no. I have no comment."

"So, it isn't serious, this is just a fling?"

"Absolutely not! We're very serious."

"Can I quote you on that?"

Paton closed her eyes and took a moment to collect herself. She had to be careful as to what she said, but the cat was out of the bag. "Okay, look, Hunk and I are seeing each other, it is serious, but we'd like to have our privacy."

"How long have you been seeing each other?"

"Like I said, we'd like to keep our relationship private. There is no need for you to pry into our lives."

"With all due respect, Chief Lacko, the people of Arus just love the Voltron Force and are very interested in their lives. When one of them finds happiness, we want to share in their joy."

"We appreciate your kind words, we are very happy and that is all I am going to say."

"Do I hear wedding bells in the near future?"

"Are you serious? I have no comment on that!"

"Is there any comment you'd like to make?"

"Yes, I'd like you to leave my private life private."

"If you really wanted privacy you wouldn't have gotten involved with one of the most famous eligible bachelors on the planet."

"That's not fair, you can't really help who you fall in love with."

The reporter made a small noise. "Love?"

_You need to shut your mouth!_ Paton's mentally berated herself. "I have no comment."

"And does Lieutenant Landers love you?"

"No comment."

"This would all be easier if you gave us a little something to keep the readers happy."

"I'm not concerned with your readers' happiness."

"Well, I guess I have all I need for now, Chief Lacko, I'm sure I'll be in touch."

Paton hung up the phone and dropped her head on the desk. She knew she had said too much and it was going to be twisted around. She had to warn Hunk. Since it was still early he would be practicing with the rest of the team, so she texted him.

_Call me when you can._

Two hours later, Paton had stressed herself into a tense ball of emotions. She had never been the focus of a gossip page article. What if Hunk was mad? What if people got the wrong idea about them? About her? About Hunk?

_Arus Today_ was a local gossip website. On the front page was a picture of her and Hunk walking from Petunia to the café. They were holding hands and she was looking up at him, smiling. Beneath that was the brief article.

**Sorry ladies, but it appears another member of the Voltron Force is off the market! Lieutenant Henry 'Hunk' Landers, the pilot of the Yellow Lion, was seen going on a very romantic date with Alforia's new police chief, Paton Lacko. **

**Witnesses say the two had a very intimate date, sharing dinner, holding hands, and even a few kisses! **

**This is the first time the couple was seen in public together, but according to the Chief herself, things are VERY serious between the two, the "L-Word" was even used!**

**I'm sure there will be a wedding at the castle before long!**

Paton wanted to talk to Hunk before he heard about it or saw the article. She was such an idiot! She knew how to handle the media, how stupid could she be? And where had the wedding stuff come from? She wasn't ready for that. And what if Hunk thought she was trying to pressure him? He had to know she hadn't said that.

Her cell phone rang, causing her to jump in her seat. Her hand shook a little when she saw it was Hunk.

"Hi." She cringed when she heard her voice crack.

"Hey, Paton, what's going on?" The calm sound of his voice already made her feel better.

She cleared her throat. "I did something very stupid."

"I do stupid stuff all the time, what did you do?"

"Have you seen the _Arus Today_ website?"

"Not lately, I don't pay any attention to that crap. Did you know they once reported Allura and Lance were cheating on Keith?"

"You…you were right about someone taking our picture last night and they got it. One of their reporters called this morning and I just couldn't stop talking and before I knew it I was telling her we were seeing each other and that it was serious and that I loved you."

He hesitated a moment before prompting, "And?"

"And? And what? Now everyone knows about us."

"Is that really a problem?"

Paton let out a long breath and sat back in her chair feeling like a fool. "No, I guess it isn't. I've spent all morning stressing out about this. I just have never had the media asking me personal questions before. I mean, I've spoken to the media, but it's always been about cases, not me."

"Paton, are you okay with this? I guess I should have warned you, I just try not to think about it too much. My god, you're beautiful."

"What?"

"I just went to the _Arus Today_ site to see what it said. I should ask for a copy of that picture, you're beautiful."

"You're reading it?"

"Yeah. It's not a big deal, at least they have the full story this time. I hate when they speculate. You can't let this stuff get to you, honey, part of being involved with me means people are going to be curious about you and about us. We've learned over the years to give a little to the media and they'll back off. But we can still keep the important stuff private. We can make this work, right?"

"Yeah, we can," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I just needed to hear you say it."

"And I like people knowing we're together. Any guy tries to get fresh with you will have to deal with me."

She laughed. "And I can kick the ass of any woman who tries throwing herself at you."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Any time."

Feeling herself relax, Paton felt silly about how she had stressed herself out. "I love you, Hunk, so much and I want everyone to know it."

"We could have t-shirts made up."

"That seems a little excessive."

"I love you, too. Still want me to go with you to shop for the party?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, people are going to know about us now, so they'll be looking for us. There will be more pictures."

Paton thought about it and realized it didn't worry her as much as it had earlier, she wasn't alone in this. "It's all right."

"Pick me up at six?"

"I'll see you then."

* * *

Early Saturday afternoon Hunk went into Alforia to get the last of the supplies for the party: the beer and booze. With the entire force coming, as well as Nanny and Koran, and Paton's police force invited, they were expecting over thirty people. They had purchased enough hamburger meat, hotdogs, and chicken to feed an army. Hunk and Paton and spent the previous evening making his mother's potato salad and marinating the chicken. He discovered he enjoyed the simple domestic duties and spending the evening with Paton.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Landers?"

He put the last case of beer in and slammed the trunk shut before turning to the young man standing on the sidewalk holding a tablet computer. "Yeah?"

"I'm so sorry to hear about you and Chief Lacko."

"What?"

"Would you like to comment?"

"I'm sorry, man, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about you being single, again."

Hunk shook his head. "Sorry, dude, but your intel is very wrong."

"Haven't you seen the picture from this morning?"

"Who are you with?"

"_Arus Today_."

"I figured. Look, I'm not interested in whatever b.s. you're trying to peddle as truth."

"Would you like to see the picture?"

"What picture?"

"The picture of Chief Lacko with another man."

Hunk hesitated. He knew he was being baited and there was no way Paton was photographed with another man. But, before he could respond, the reporter held his tablet out for Hunk to see the photo.

It was definitely Paton. She was laughing as she hugged a guy who kissed her on the cheek. He was a good looking, well dressed man with light brown hair. Hunk had never seen him before, but that didn't mean anything, he could be anyone and who knew how old this picture really was.

"I have no comment, Paton is not with another guy, you're just trying to cause trouble."

"So, you are denying Chief Lacko is involved with another man? This picture was taken just this morning."

Rather than answer him again, Hunk turned on his heel and got into the car. He wasn't expected at Paton's house for another couple of hours, but he suddenly needed to see her. Maybe that picture was taken this morning, but that didn't mean anything.

But then, he hadn't heard from her in a while. Her last text had been at 9:00 reminding him to get the tequila for margaritas.

Hunk just assumed she was busy getting ready for the party.

He tightened his hands on the steering wheel and pressed down harder on the gas pedal.

Whoever he was, Paton was certainly comfortable with this guy.

How well did he really know her, Hunk wondered. They had only known each other for a couple of months and they hadn't actually been able to spend much time together this past month. Maybe she has a lot of guy friends he doesn't know. And they hadn't actually said that they were exclusive, he just assumed they were. What if, before they admitted to being in love with each other, she was seeing someone else? Maybe she was breaking it off with him when the picture was taken.

But that wasn't the smile of someone breaking up with a boyfriend.

He whipped the car into the driveway and cut the engine.

Jealousy was not an emotion Hunk was used to feeling and it was making him irritable.

He stormed up the front steps and pounded on the door.

A moment later, it swung open and Hunk stood face to face with the man in the picture. In the hallway behind the man, Paton walked out of the kitchen wearing her yellow bathrobe.

"Hunk, you're early!" She gasped.

"Hunk?" The man repeated.

Pulling himself up straight, Hunk towered over the other man by a good six inches, his hands fisted at his sides.

The man took a step back and held up both hands in surrender. "Okay, I know that look, before you try to beat me up I just want to say I'm an architect and I need my hands."

"Beat you up?" Paton said. "Why would he..." she noticed the look on his face. "Hunk, what's wrong?"

"An architect?" Hunk asked. "Are you…"

"I'm Cam, Paton's brother."

"Brother?"

"Yeah, Cam and Zed came in for the weekend, they decided to surprise me for my birthday." Paton said. "What is wrong with you?"

Hunk took a step back, feeling like a complete fool. He ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. There was this picture and I…it was nothing. I'm an idiot."

"What picture?" Paton asked.

He rubbed his hand over his face. "A reporter from _Arus Today_ came up to me with a picture of you and another guy and wanted to know about our break-up."

Paton's face paled. "You…you thought I cheated on you?"

"Why don't you come inside?" Cam said gently, stepping aside.

"No, I don't think he should," Paton said.

"Paton…" Hunk began, but was interrupted by another man coming down the steps.

"Pat, I'm ready for you! Oh, who is this? You are just a big hunk of a man aren't you?" The svelte man walked right up to Hunk. He stood shorter than the three of them, his hair was blonde and his face angelic. "Oh! Hunk! I get it now! You must be Pat's Hunk! She has told us all about you! Come in, come in, let's get to know the latest member of the family. I'm Zed, by the way, Cam's partner and Pat's adopted brother, not legally, of course, that would just be weird given my relationship with Cam, but in every other way. She's the sister I've always wanted and so I need to give you the third degree and ask you what your intentions are when it comes to our Pat."

Hunk allowed himself to be pulled into the kitchen, but when he passed Paton, she refused to look at him.

"We're having wine, but I'm just going to go ahead and assume you aren't a wine guy," Zed said, keeping up the one sided conversation. "Sit, sit, I'll get you a beer, but we're almost out. Pat said you were going to bring the booze, did you?"

"It's in the car."

"Okay, we'll unload it later. So, tell me all about you." Zed handed him a beer and sat on the stool next to him at the kitchen island.

"Zed." Cam said. "We need to give these two a moment."

"Why? He just got here. I want to pick his brain and hear him tell me how amazing Paton is and how incredibly talented you are, I mean he helped build the deck, he knows."

"Zed," Cam's voice carried a warning.

Zed looked from Hunk to Paton and back again, suddenly realizing something was amiss. He glared at Hunk through narrowed eyes. "What did you do?"

Before Hunk could answer, he went on.

"If you did something to hurt my Pat, I don't care how big you are, I will destroy you."

Cam walked over and took Zed firmly by the arm. "Come on. Hunk, if you give me your keys, we'll carry the stuff from your car to the deck."

"It's in the trunk," Hunk said, holding out the keys.

When they were alone, Hunk crossed quickly over to Paton. She stepped just out of his reach, clutching her robe closed at her throat.

"Paton."

"You thought I would cheat on you?" Her voice was low. "Just the other day you were telling me how you paid no attention to what they published on that website, that I shouldn't let what they say and do upset me, but then one of their reporters tells you I'm cheating on you and you just believe them?"

Hunk realized then that she wasn't disappointed or even angry with him, she was hurt. Deep down in the soul hurt. And he had done that to her.

"Paton, I'm sorry. I…I was an idiot."

She didn't raise her eyes, staring at his chest. "Yes, you were."

"I've never been a jealous person before."

"What changed?"

"I guess I just never cared so much for someone before."

"Then I would think you could trust me."

"I do trust you. Look, Paton, I told you I have done a lot of stupid things in my life and I'm going to do a lot more stupid things, but I would never intentionally hurt you. I have a tendency to act before thinking. Sometimes it works, like when I crossed the bar and had Keith introduce me to you. And sometimes it blows up in my face, like it did today."

She finally looked up to meet his eyes. "I don't like this jealous side of you."

"Neither do I."

"This is all new to me, Hunk, I've never been in a relationship before that was in the public eye."

"They're only interested because it's new. The novelty will wear off. This is new to me too, I haven't had a serious relationship since I came to Arus. But I know we can deal with it. Together."

She let out a long breath. "I'm not breaking up with you, I'm just annoyed by your reaction to the picture you saw. Was it really that bad of a picture?"

Hunk shrugged, embarrassed. "It showed you hugging and kissing a guy I didn't know. And I overreacted. Don't let my behavior ruin your evening. This party is going to be amazing, we're going to have a lot of fun with our friends. If you let it ruin your day every time I do something stupid, you're going to have a lot of bad days."

The corner of her mouth quirked up as she tried to hold back a smile, "You're not doing a good job selling yourself."

He smiled at her. "Babe, you bought what I'm selling weeks ago and I don't accept returns."

"Damnit, Hunk," she laughed. "Don't do it again."

"I won't. Am I forgiven?"

"For now."

Hunk reached out and cupped the back of neck with his hand, pulling her close. "I love you."

"I know."

Grinning, he leaned down to brush his lips over hers.

They jumped apart at the sound of a knock on glass. Cam was standing at the backdoor, his nose pressed against the window.

"Are you done?" He shouted through the window. "Can we come in?"

Paton rolled her eyes and motioned for him to come in.

"Everything okay?"

She nodded.

"I think I found it!" Zed said. He walked in behind Cam, his head down as he stared at his phone.

"Found what?" Paton asked.

"The picture that sent Hunk flying into a jealous rage."

Hunk felt the heat rise to his face. "I wouldn't say it was a jealous _rage_."

All three of them looked at him.

"You weren't on the receiving end of it." Cam pointed out.

"It was definitely a rage," Paton added. "I had never seen anything like that before."

"I'm sorry, Cam, that was not the impression I wanted to make on Paton's family," Hunk apologized.

Cam shrugged. "It's all right. I'd rather see that than you making out with my sister."

"Oh, if this is the picture, I totally get it!" Zed cried. "I mean, Cam looks _hot_! If I saw him kissing my girlfriend, I would be furious. But they cut me out, I was standing right behind you."

Cam and Paton both hurried over to look over his shoulder. Hunk groaned and rubbed his hand over his face.

"Looks like there is trouble in paradise," Cam read. "Just days after being seen on a romantic date with Voltron's Lieutenant Landers, Alforia's Police Chief, Paton Lacko, was seen canoodling with a mystery man."

"Canoodling?" Zed laughed. "That is a wonderful word! I'm going to find a way to work that into conversation tonight."

"Is the police chief toying with the heart of one of Arus' heroes?" Cam continued. "It would appear her words of love were not as serious as she claimed."

"Oh, honey, you come off like a heartless slut," Zed whispered.

"I'm going down there and demand a retraction," Hunk growled, his hands fisting at his sides.

Paton shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Just let it go."

"No, they…"

"Hunk," she said sternly. "Let it go. When word gets out that he's my brother, they're going to look like fools and people will know what kind of journalists they are. We're not going to let the media dictate our relationship or our behavior. Don't do anything stupid."

"You're right." Hunk walked over and pulled her into a tight hug. "You stopping me from doing stupid things will change my life."

"All right, we need to get moving," Zed announced, shoving his phone in his pocket. "Hunk, you showed up early, Paton was going to make a grand entrance. To make up for ruining that, you can get the beer on ice, the wine in the fridge, and set up the bar while I help her get ready."

"I can do that."

"I'll help," Cam offered. "We brought the beer out back and the coolers are filled with ice already."

"I'm really impressed with what you guys did out here," Cam said as they walked out on the porch. "I had planned on coming out to help Paton build the deck this summer, but she was never a patient person. When she wants something, she wants it _now._"

"The blueprints were really well done and made your vision easy to follow."

"Wait until you see what I've come up with for her kitchen. I will help out with that, it'll be a lot of work."

Hunk knelt down beside the two coolers and flipped up the tops. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Zed and I were actually thinking about making the move to Arus permanent."

"That would be great, I know Paton would be thrilled."

Cam started setting the liquor bottles under the shade of the umbrella that stood over the dining table. "I know Arus is rebuilding and still has a ways to go, I feel like I can really help with the town planning."

"You should talk to Allura tonight, she'd love to hear what you're thinking."

"Allura? You mean the queen?"

"Yup. She and Keith will be here for a while. They can't stay long. Technically, we're all still on duty and need to be near the Lions in case there's an attack and Keith can't stand being away from the castle when there's a threat. If we're lucky, they'll be here for an hour."

"I've never spoken to a queen before."

"Allura's the sweetest person in the universe and all she wants to do is grow Arus. Don't worry about it."

Cam came over to break down the boxes that had held the beer. "I'm really glad Paton found you."

Hunk closed the filled the coolers and stood. "Actually, I found her first. But it was the best thing to ever happen to me."

"And her. We were worried about her coming here alone, my parents and my brother and I. But she wanted a new start and it seems like it worked out for her. I haven't seen her this happy in years."

"A new start?" Hunk asked.

Cam shook his head. "She didn't tell you about her ex, did she?"

"No."

Paton's brother look conflicted. "I'll take these out to the garage."

Hunk went into the kitchen and grabbed the beer Zed had gotten for him earlier. Paton hadn't told him about any of her exes, but then he hadn't told her about any of his. Hunk didn't feel any of his ex-girlfriends were important enough. He was sure he had found the love of his life in Paton, why dwell on the others?

"Look, it's really not up to me to tell you about it," Cam said as he reentered the house.

"But I think you should," Hunk replied.

Before he could answer, Zed hurried down the stairs. "Are you ready?"

"For what?" Cam asked.

"For Pat's grand entrance!" He turned to Hunk. "For her birthday, I found her the most perfect dress and I knew she had to wear it tonight. Hair done by me, make-up done by Pat." He turned to call up the stairs. "Come on down, honey!"

"I hate when you do this, Zed!" She shouted back.

"Oh, stop being a buzzkill and get your pretty butt down here! I want to show off how right I was about that dress!"

"I thought today was about me!"

"You thought wrong! Get down here!"

Hunk watched her descend and his mouth went dry. She was gorgeous.

She wore a sundress the pale orange color of a creamsicle. The bodice was fitted and accentuating her curves in the best possible way. The skirt was full and brushed the top of her knees, showing off her miles of shapely legs that ended in white eyelet espadrilles with a strap around her ankles. Her hair was curled and pulled back on the sides, held in the back with a carved barrette. From her ears hung a pair of pearl earrings and around her neck was the necklace Hunk had given her.

"Twirl." Zed commanded when she came to the bottom of the steps.

"No."

"Twirl or I will twirl you."

"Just do it," Cam said. "He will twirl you if you don't, he's stronger than he looks."

Rolling her eyes, Patton twirled, the skirt flying out, showing more leg. The back of the dress was laced up like a corset.

All Hunk wanted to do was pull on the ribbon and see what happened.

"Well, isn't she a vision?" Zed prompted.

"Beautiful." Cam agreed.

"She's a dream come true," Hunk said, his voice full of awe.

Zed sighed wistfully. "You are too much. I think we'll keep you, Hunk."

But Hunk didn't appear to hear a word he said as he crossed the kitchen to take Paton's hands. "I've told you before how beautiful you are, but that just doesn't seem like the right word. You are exquisite."


	6. Adding On

"I'm so glad you were able to come tonight," Paton said as she sat beside Allura and Darcy on the outdoor sofa.

"Me too! I love your house," gushed the queen. "And the deck turned out great. I always knew Hunk was good, but the two of you together are just incredible."

"Our retirement plan is to start our own construction business."

"And if you teamed up with your brother, you guys would be unstoppable," Darcy added.

"I just love your brother," Allura told Paton. "We're setting up a meeting to talk about how he can help us. I'm thinking he might be just the person to design the new museum I've been thinking about."

"That's wonderful! He would be so honored and he would do an amazing job," Paton assured her.

"I wanted to tell you how much I loved your dress, where did you get it?"

"It was my birthday present from Zed."

"Really? He knows his stuff."

"Well, he should, he teaches fashion and design."

"Hm, well, maybe if we can convince him and your brother to take the plunge and move to Arus he can teach at the university." Allura said, thoughtfully.

"He'd be honored if you asked, but if they make the move I think he's planning on opening his own boutique. He's always wanted to make his living as a designer."

"If that dress is any indication of his style, he'll develop a huge following," Darcy said.

Allura nodded. "I would love to have a talented fashion designer based on Arus, it could only help our growth."

"Well, they've been discussing it. Latrial never really felt like home, you know? It always felt like we were just there temporarily." Paton unconsciously shifted her gaze to where Hunk was manning the grill, beer in hand, talking to Pidge. "But Arus definitely feels like home."

"So, how are things going with you and Hunk?" Allura asked.

"Fine."

The other two women shared a look.

"Just fine?" Darcy prompted.

"Well, no, I mean everything is great, I just…" Paton trailed off.

"What happened?" Allura asked.

Paton hesitated, but she knew that if anyone would understand what it was like, it would be Allura and Darcy. She told them about her and Hunk having their picture taken and the article on the website and then what had happened earlier today.

"It sucks," Darcy agreed. "But for the most part the media is friendly and will back off, there are just a couple of gossip sites that make it hard."

"No media is allowed on castle grounds without an invitation," Allura told her. "And the only time they're ever inside is if we're having an event and they're invited. So, please, feel free to come up to the castle any time to get away from it."

"Do you ever get used to it?" Paton asked.

Darcy shrugged. "I guess so. I mean, it's just human nature to be curious about famous people. Once the novelty wears off it'll be easier to get some peace."

"That's what Hunk said."

"But it's worth it," Darcy assured her, looking over to where Lance was talking with his friends. "I hate the fact that any time he and I want to get off castle grounds and spend time together there is a chance our picture will show up on some website with a bogus story, but I wouldn't give up one second with him. And he and I know the truth about our relationship and that's what's important."

"I guess we can't help who we fall in love with and we have to take the good with the bad," Paton sighed.

* * *

As the party started to wind down, Hunk wandered over to where Cam was standing alone against the railing, looking up at the side of the house.

"I was thinking," Cam said as he approached. "We could probably put a roof over the deck, keep it shaded from the sun and protected from the rain. You could use it pretty much any time then."

"We'll see what Paton thinks." Hunk turned so he was leaning against the railing as well. Paton was over by the table with Zed and a handful of her officers who still lingered, laughing, drinking and talking. "I think you were going to tell me something earlier, before we were interrupted."

"What do you mean?"

"About Paton's ex."

Cam took a long drink from his beer. "Look, Hunk, I don't think it's up to me to tell you all that."

"I have a feeling it isn't good news and I doubt I would get the whole story from Paton, would I?"

"Probably not."

"I love her, Cam, I plan on spending the rest of my life with her. Please tell me what I need to know."

Cam threw his head back to look at the night sky, letting out a long breath. "Okay. Paton was pretty shy when she was younger, she had a bit of a weight problem when she was real young. She was self-conscious, she was the tallest girl in her class and up until junior year she was taller than most of the boys. And you know how kids can be cruel. It wasn't that she couldn't find a date, she just didn't believe anyone wanted to date her. Her first serious relationship started the summer after she graduated, before she joined the police academy. They met at an initiation meeting about a month before the academy term began." He turned to look at Hunk.

"You have to understand what being a cop means to Pat, she's wanted it since she was a little kid. She started preparing when she was thirteen. We come from a long line of big people, tall and big boned, if we aren't careful, we can put on weight easily, it's something she's always been worried about. She began running when she was thirteen, practicing martial arts, doing whatever she could to stay in shape, but she was always healthy. Our mother was determined that we eat healthily. Pat would run obstacle courses my dad would set up, she would take turns tackling me or Ifans to the ground. Our dad would play observation games with her, like, if we went out to dinner, after we left he would quiz her on things like how many men were in the restaurant, were there any children under the age of four, was anyone wearing a hat, what color was the hat. Those kinds of things. And she loved it. Being a cop is who she is and she's damn good at it.

"This guy seemed perfect for her. He wanted all the same things, they entered the academy together, took classes together, they even liked the same music. But there was something about him I didn't trust, right from the beginning. He seemed to have everyone else fooled, my parents loved him, but he seemed kind of smarmy to me.

"They were together probably eight months or so when I first noticed something was really wrong."

"What was it?" Hunk asked in a low voice.

"She just wasn't being herself. She was more quiet and a bit withdrawn, depressed, she stopped hanging out with her girlfriends. Then we all noticed she started to lose weight. My mother was worried she was sick, like really sick, with something serious. But no, Pat just said she was feeling stressed. Everything about her seemed to change and I didn't buy her excuse about being stressed. She was so excited about being in the academy, she was top in her class. I was the first to suspect he had something to do with it. I found out that while Pat was succeeding, he wasn't. I went to see her once at the academy and I overheard some of the things he said to her. It was bad, Hunk, real bad. I always thought Pat could take care of herself and physically she could. Not only was she strong, but at this point she had over five years of martial arts training. What I hadn't figured was what emotional abuse would do to her." Cam stopped to take a drink. "He couldn't control her physically, but he could control her emotionally."

Hunk felt anger grow so strong that his vision started to waver.

"Pat is almost six feet tall," Cam continued. "She got down to less than 120 pounds."

"She was anorexic?" Hunk glanced over at Paton, she was so healthy and beautiful now.

Cam nodded. "He made her feel so awful, she starved herself trying to appease him. He really messed with her head."

"What happened?"

"She ended up in the hospital. The doctor told us she was only getting between 200 and 300 calories a day while trying to keep up with her training. We staged an intervention, our parents, Ifans, and I showed up with the academy commissioner. She was going to get kicked out of the academy if she didn't shape up and they didn't want to lose her, they saw her potential."

"What happened to her boyfriend?"

"He actually failed out, neither physically nor intellectually was he cut out to be a police officer. We convinced Pat she was better off without him and when she saw that she stood to lose everything she ever wanted because of this guy, she agreed. She dropped out of the academy and went into a rehab program. They helped her deal with the deeper issues that had led to the anorexia and she worked with a nutritionist to get back her strength. She also met with a psychiatrist, five times a week for three months, three times a week for three months and then once a week for six more months. She was able to reenroll in the academy, once she passed the full psychological and physical exams. This time around, she succeeded and graduated at the top of her class."

"What's his name?"

Cam shook his head. "Don't worry about it, he hasn't been in her life in almost six years, he's just some loser, I don't even know where he is now."

"Give me his name and I'll find him."

"No, Hunk, Pat has moved on. She's a totally different person, the worst thing you could do would be to drag him into this. I meant it when I said I haven't seen her this happy in years. We didn't want her to go to Arus alone, but when it was announced they were starting a police department, she knew she wanted to come back here and have a fresh start. When she was made chief, we were all thrilled. I have no doubt she will be an amazing chief, she's the best officer I know. She loves her job and she loves you. You've been good for her."

Hunk watched as Paton walked a few of her men to their cars and said good night. As he thought of what she had been through and how far she had come, he felt his chest swell with pride. She really was an amazing woman. "This guy had jealousy issues, didn't he?"

"Yeah."

Hunk swore. "And my behavior this afternoon didn't help."

"I think the jealousy put her off, but you are a completely different man, anyone can see that."

"I won't hurt her, ever."

"I know you won't. We just met, but I can tell, just the way you look at her, what she means to you."

"She means everything."

"Just…just accept her for who she is."

"She's perfect."

Cam laughed. "Oh, man, I love my sister as much as any brother can love his sister, but I'll be the first to say she isn't perfect. None of us are."

"She's perfect for me." Hunk looked at him. "She is the most incredible woman I've ever known. All I want from her is a life together, a family."

Cam smiled at him. "I get the feeling she wants that too."

"Who wants what?" Zed asked, coming up beside his boyfriend.

"We were just talking about how sickeningly happy Hunk makes Paton."

"Oh, Hunk, she was gushing at lunch today, positively _gushing_ over you. She is head over heels."

"So am I," Hunk told him.

Zed sighed. "I'm picturing a spring wedding."

"Here on the deck," Hunk added.

"What a fantastic night!" Paton announced as she threw her arms around Hunk's waist and hugged him tightly.

"It was pretty awesome," he agreed, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her forehead.

She tipped her head back to look at him. "Everything all right?"

"Just fine."

"Is everyone gone?" Cam asked.

Paton leaned against Hunk, her head on his shoulder. "Yup, but I don't want to think about cleaning up right now."

"It's your birthday," Hunk said. "Go, put your feet up. We'll clean up."

"I can do that." Paton walked over to the table, grabbed her glass of wine and settled into one of the Adirondack chairs facing the sofa. "Get to work, slaves."

The three men carried plates, cups, and bottles into the kitchen. Hunk started loading the dishwasher while Zed went about sorting the trash. When Cam went back out to the porch to see if there was anything left to clean up, he didn't come back.

Hunk looked out the window and saw the brother and sister in what appeared to be a rather heated conversation. Paton stood up and glared at her brother, talking fast and gesturing with her hands. Cam took a step toward her and seemed to be just as angry with his response.

"I'll be right back," he told Zed.

Both Paton and Cam stopped talking as soon as the door opened. When Paton saw it was Hunk, she spun on her heel and went to stand by the railing looking out over the side yard, her back to the two men. Cam sighed and shook his head at Hunk before wordlessly walking back into the house.

"Paton?"

She shook her head.

He walked over to stand beside her. "Are you okay?"

She cleared her throat, twice. "I hear my brother couldn't keep his mouth shut."

"I'm glad he told me."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to know and I think he wanted me to know."

"What about what I want?" She glared up at him with wide, wet eyes. "Did either of you stop to think about what I wanted you to know?"

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Eventually. It's hard to work it into most conversations. Hey, Hunk, want to hear about the year I spent with an abusive asshole that almost cost me my dreams?" Her voice cracked and she turned to look out at the woods.

"Paton," he said gently, going to lay his hand on her shoulder, but she tensed and he dropped his hand. "I'm sorry if you feel we betrayed your trust or that we didn't take your feelings into consideration. I just had a feeling that what happened had been bad, and I was right, and I was worried you would sugarcoat it and not tell me everything."

"Why do you even need to know about it?" She whispered.

"It's part of who you are, Paton, and I want to know everything about you. I understand that it was a very difficult time for you and that you were hurt, deeply, but I don't understand why you're so upset that I know about it."

She sniffed and didn't answer.

Hunk grabbed a napkin off the table and handed it to her. His heart broke a little as he watched her dab her eyes.

"I don't want you to change how you look at me," she admitted, her voice trembling.

"What do you mean?"

"When people hear about what I went through, they pity me, they feel sorry for me. I don't ever want you to pity me, I don't want you to look at me and feel sorry for me. One of the reasons I left Latrial was that too many people knew, too many people felt sorry for me. I can't deal with that."

"Pity?" Hunk laid his hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him. "Pity never crossed my mind. What I felt was pride. I am so proud of you, honey, so proud of all you've accomplished and how far you've come. Anyone who knows you would never pity you. You are the strongest, bravest woman I know."

She dabbed at the corner of her left eye. "I don't know about that."

He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. "I am proud of you. Proud that you walked away from that scumbag, proud that you got your life together, proud that you graduated top of your class, and proud of the fact that you are quite possibly the youngest police chief in history. You are amazing, Paton, truly amazing."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him hard, pressing her face to his neck.

For several long moments they stood in the quiet solitude, holding onto each other.

"Thank you," she whispered against his neck.

"I love you," he whispered back. "Nothing will ever change that. I love you for the amazing woman you are. I wouldn't change a thing about you."

She lifted her head to look at him. "I am so lucky to have you in my life. What I have with you is nothing like what I had with Vic."

Hunk scowled. "His name was Vic? That is such a douchebag name."

She smiled. "He did everything he could to try and tear me down, to control me. With you, I feel amazing and strong and invincible."

"Because you are."

"I wasn't trying to hide anything from you, I just didn't know how to broach the subject."

"I know. Promise me something."

"Anything."

He cupped her cheek with his hand. "If I ever say anything that upsets you, tell me. I will never knowingly hurt you."

"I know you won't, but I don't want you to feel you have to censor yourself around me. I want you to tease me, flirt with me, and make me laugh."

"I can do that." Hunk slid his hands down to her waist. "I'll start with the flirting."

"I was hoping you would."

He captured her lips in a lingering kiss. "I just love," he said as he moved his lips to the curve where her throat met her shoulder. "Every square inch," he moved his mouth across her shoulder, "of your body."

"Every square inch, huh?" She asked, tilting her head back. "Even my wide hips?"

He slid his hands down to her hips. "Just the right width," he murmured against her throat as he kissed his way up to her jaw.

"And my big butt?"

He moved his hands around to cup her backside in his hands, gently squeezing. "Not big at all, perfect handfuls."

Paton laughed. "You have big hands."

Hunk lifted his head to grin down at her. "No, you were just made for me."

She ran her hands up and down his biceps, stopping to squeeze his muscles. "I think you're right. And you were made for me."

"Are there any other parts of your anatomy you want me to size up for you?"

"Are you asking permission to cop a feel?"

"I'm asking permission to have crazy monkey sex with you."

Paton opened her mouth to respond, but whatever she was going to say was lost in a burst of laughter. She dropped her forehead to his shoulder. "I give you full permission any time you want it."

"Thank you."

She lifted her head in surprise when she felt a sharp tug on the back of her dress and the bodice loosened. "Hunk! What are you doing?"

"The ribbon on the back of your dress has been driving me crazy all night."

"Really?"

"Yup. From the moment you twirled in front of me, I have wondered what it would be like to pull on that ribbon." He nudged the strap down her right shoulder. "And I have to admit, I'm enjoying the outcome."

"Hunk we are outside!"

"We're alone." He paused. "Paton?"

"What?"

"Are you wearing a bra?"

"Uh, no. This dress came with built in support, the way it's made there was really no way to wear a bra without it being seen." She looked up and saw his eyes darken as he looked at her. "Is that a problem?"

"If I had known, the party would have ended a lot sooner."

"We could move the party upstairs."

"I like the way you think."

Paton slipped her shoulder strap back in place. "Hunk?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you…for being you."

"Paton." He hugged her tightly to him. "You are beautiful, you are wanted, and you are loved."

"Oh, honey, I can't believe you remembered that."

"Remember it?" He asked, releasing her and taking her hand so they could head inside. "That's the first thing that pops into my mind every time I see you."

"Oh, stop."

"It's true. Well, to be honest, the _want_ part is usually the first thing I think when I see you."

* * *

**12 Years Later**

Hunk lit the grill and closed the lid. Their friends would be arriving soon for the monthly barbeque, they all took turns hosting during the spring and summer, and this month was the Landers' turn.

"Casey! Mykel!" He called to the two boys running around the yard. "Come here!"

The boys, Casey at seven years old was already a carbon copy of Hunk while five year old Mykel was all Lacko, looking just like his Uncle Cam at that age, ran up onto the deck.

"Go inside and see if Mom needs help."

"Oh no," Paton said as she walked out carrying paper plates and a basket filled with plastic utensils in one hand while holding eleven month old Natalia on her hip with her other hand. "I just got them out from under foot, they're your problem now."

"Nope, I'm on baby duty," Hunk said, holding out his hands to his little girl. With a squeal of delight, she threw herself at her father.

While Casey and Mykel were energetic bundles of noise and dirt, Natalia had taken after her father with her easy going personality. With both Paton and Hunk working long hours in high pressure jobs, they had planned on stopping after two kids, but then Paton felt sick two Christmases ago and they were surprised with their little girl the following summer.

"Dad, play ball with us!" Mykel demanded.

Hunk looked at him, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Please," the boy added.

He held out his hand for the football. "Go long."

Casey and Mykel took off, running toward the backyard. Hunk stood on the deck and let loose with a perfect spiral. Casey was faster, but Mykel could jump higher and he caught the ball before his brother.

Paton clapped her hands. "Good catch, Mykie!"

Hunk reached out with his free hand and pulled his wife to him, nuzzling her neck. "Hi, beautiful."

"I don't have time for this, everyone will be here soon," she half-heartedly protested.

"There is always time for this," he replied.

A car pulled up in front of the cottage and the horn was cheerfully honked.

"It's Uncle Cam and Uncle Zed!" Casey yelled.

"Uncle Cam! Come play ball with us!" Mykel shouted as their uncles got out of their car.

Paton dropped her head to Hunk's shoulder. "Where is their volume control? Why do they have to shout everything?"

"That comes from your side of the family, we Landers are a quiet bunch."

"Ha! Whatever."

As if on cue, Cam ran across the yard to his nephews, matching them shout for shout.

"Is that my little princess?" Zed asked, climbing the steps to the deck. He set a covered dish on the table and held out his hands for his niece. "Oh, you have gotten cuter just since the last time I saw you. We have to convince your parents to let you model for me."

Natalia placed a chubby hand on both of Zed's cheeks and pursed her lips for a kiss, which he gladly gave her.

"And you are such a little flirt!"

"That's what happens when I let her hang around you," Hunk said. "You want a drink?"

"I'd love a beer."

"Declan and Gideon are here!" Casey yelled as he and his brother ran past the porch.

A van pulled up in front of the house. Keith and Allura climbed out with their brood, twelve year old Cady, ten year old twins Declan and Gideon, six year old Tess, and two year old Charlotte, as well as Nanny. The next car pulled up with Pidge and Becca and their two year old son, Luke, and they were followed by Lance, Darcy, and eleven year old Sky.

Within seconds the backyard was filled with laughter and loud shouts as the kids ran around and the adults gathered on the deck.

Hunk manned the grill, dishing out hot dogs, hamburgers, and grilled chicken. Paton made the rounds, making sure everyone had what they needed. It was a loud whirlwind of conversation, laughter, and all-around smartassedness. These barbeques were everyone's favorite day of the month.

"Hey, handsome," Paton said as she joined Hunk at the railing, looking out over the yard where the kids were being split into teams with Lance and Pidge to play kickball. The small playpen area they had set up beside the deck for the youngest members of the family was being watched over by Keith, Allura, and Becca.

Hunk reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. "Hey, beautiful."

"It looks like everyone is full; we can let the kids work up more of an appetite before we start the fire for the s'mores."

"Sounds good to me." He looked at her. "I've been thinking."

"What about?"

"This deck gets rather crowded any more, I think we should talk to Cam about adding on to it."

Paton caught her brother's eye and waved him over.

"What's up?" Cam asked.

"We're thinking about adding on to the deck, making it bigger. What do you think?" Paton asked.

"The deck?" Cam repeated.

Paton nodded.

"Every since you told us you were expecting Nat I thought you were going to ask about adding on to the house."

"The house?" Hunk asked.

"The house is perfect," Paton said.

"But the boys are sharing a room."

Hunk shrugged. "It builds character. What do you think about the deck? Can we add more space but not take away too much of the yard."

Cam looked around for a moment. "Well, if we remove the railing on this side, we can build out and along the sides, probably add another 100 square feet and still have plenty of room for your little hellions to run wild in the yard. We'd have to move the grill, but we can make it work."

Hunk looked down at his wife. "Looks like we have a new project."

"We can make it a family project. We already know the boys build amazing birdhouses." Paton pointed to the birdhouse the boys had built with their father and painted neon blue with an orange roof.

"The boys can handle hammers and we can put Nat on the table saw."

"Yeah, she's almost a year old, it's about time she started pulling her weight." Paton turned to her brother. "When can you have plans made up?"

He rolled his eyes. "Really? I do have a job you know."

"So, what? A week?"

"Give me a month, I'll see what I can do. Are you sure about the house? I might already have something mocked up."

"No, the house is fine, stop trying to rebuild it."

"What if you have more kids?"

Hunk shook his head. "If we have more kids we'll be moving into the loony bin."

"All right, I'll see what I can come up with. Maybe a playhouse attached."

"Let's not go overboard," Paton said.

Cam grinned at her. "I have to retain my title of 'Favorite Uncle'."

"Dad!" Casey ran up onto the deck to his parents. "Can we start the fire soon?"

"Yeah, get your brother, you guys go inside and get the stuff to make the s'mores." Hunk told him.

"I'll help," Cam told his nephew. "I think Zed brought peanut butter cups, you haven't had a s'more until you've had one made with peanut butter cups."

"Oh man, that sounds amazing," Hunk whispered as Cam and Casey went to find Mykel.

Paton laughed. "They know the way to your heart."

Hunk wrapped both arms around her. "Nah, you're the only one that knows the way to my heart. Well, you and anyone with peanut butter cups."

"I thought building a deck was the way to your heart."

"I love the idea of the kids helping add on to the deck."

"In a few years we'll have to add on more so Nat can help."

Hunk shook his head. "We'll take a picture of her holding the drill and tell her she helped, she just doesn't remember."

Laughing, Paton took his face in her hands. "Not even a year old and you're messing with her."

"It's a parent's job to mess with their kids."

She gave him a quick kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, dipping his head for a deeper, lingering kiss.

"Oh, come on!"

They broke apart at their son's cry.

"You said you'd start the fire!" Casey said. "Not kiss Mom."

"Yeah," Cam added. "It's _so_ gross."

"Totally gross!" Mykel said.

"Yeah!" Lance called from across the yard. "You're grossing us all out!"

Hunk sighed. "I'm so glad you're all enjoying yourselves, at my home, eating my food, harassing me and my wife."

"That's all right," Lance said. "Next month you'll all be at my house, eating my food, and harassing me and my wife. So quit complaining, let's get to s'mores making!"


End file.
